


Pokemon: Rise of Ryan

by ImaChair5050



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Family Drama, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Content, Non-Graphic Violence, Romance, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-21
Updated: 2016-11-21
Packaged: 2018-09-01 09:51:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 113,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8619778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImaChair5050/pseuds/ImaChair5050
Summary: During life, a person is tested both physically and mentally. Some crack under pressure and falter, whilst others rise to the occasion and maybe, just maybe, accomplish amazing things on the way. Everyone is tested at some point, but for Ryan Keyes, his name is about to be called. Just how will he fare?





	1. Minutes to Midnight

It was 6 o clock on a warm August morning. The sun was shining brightly over the Unova region. Bird type Pokémon flew overhead, whilst various other types roamed around forest, grazing on berry bushes.

Whilst most people would be asleep at this time, Ryan was already up and raring to go.

Usually, he himself would be fast asleep at this time.

Not today, however. For today was his 14th birthday.

Today was the day that he would get a Pokémon.

Ever since he was a little kid, Ryan had dreamed of going on a Pokémon journey around the world. Every night, he dreamt of going to different places and seeing amazing new Pokémon.

But most of all, he dreamt of challenging Leagues all around the world and becoming a Pokémon champion.

Whilst most kids left on their journey when they were at least ten years old, Ryan's dad had strictly told him that he wouldn't be allowed to go on a Pokémon journey until he was 18, so as to make sure that Ryan didn't make as many silly mistakes.

However, he was allowed to have a Pokémon before then.

Ryan's family was very rich. In fact, it was one of the richest families in the world, let alone the Unova region. Ryan's mother and father were the proud owners of Silph co., Goldenrod Radio and Jubilife TV. A few months ago, they'd finished moving into a massive mansion, not too far from Floccesy town.

In the few days leading up to his birthday, Ryan had been busy deciding which Pokémon he wanted.

He eventually came up with a list of Pokémon he liked the look of.

Cyndaquil was tempting.

Treecko sounded like a good deal too.

In fact, so did Turtwig and tepig.

However, he eventually came down to one decision.

He wanted a Squirtle.

* * *

A knock was heard at Ryan's bedroom door.

As he opened it, he found Alexander, the house butler, standing before him.

"Ah! Good Morning Master Ryan." He said, bowing. "Did you sleep well?"

"Very well, Alexander. Thank you". Ryan replied.

"I've just come as your wake up call to let you know that your mother and father are waiting downstairs in the living room for you".

"Great! Thanks Alexander". Ryan finished replied before dashing downstairs and into the living room, where he was greeted by his parents.

"Happy Birthday!" They both said to him as they embraced him.

"Thank you" Ryan replied, ecstatically.

They then broke the hug.

"Now Ryan, before you get your presents, I'd like to introduce you to someone." his mother said, motioning towards the couch.

To Ryan's surprise, professor Cedric Juniper was sitting before him.

"Hello there Ryan", Said the professor enthusiastically, getting off the couch and shaking Ryan's hand "Happy birthday."

"Hello to you too, professor" Replied Ryan. "And thank you".

"Professor Juniper's come here to deliver you your new Pokémon". Said Ryan's mother.

"Indeed I have." The professor told Ryan. "But first, I need to have a little chat with you."

"I'm all ears, professor". Replied Ryan eagerly.

The Professor nodded.

"Your father has told me that when you eventually leave on your Pokémon journey, the one thing that you'd like to do is to take on the different Pokémon gyms and leagues all around the world. Is this true?"

"Oh yes. Definitely".

"I thought so. Apparently, you've also been watching an awful lot of these gym and league matches on the television. Well, I've been in contact with the very professors who gave those trainers their first Pokémon and they've all said the same thing about each one. They've said that they work hard and never give up. But most importantly, they've always cared for and loved each and every Pokémon that they've caught. With that, they're bonds grew stronger and they were able to persevere, not matter what the challenge."

He placed a hand on Ryan's shoulder.

"Now I want you to promise me that no matter what happens from now, you will care for your Pokémon and never give up on them."

Ryan nodded.

"I promise".

Cedric smiled.

"Right answer!" He declared.

The professor then reached under the coffee table and produced a box.

"Go ahead and open it" said the professor.

Ryan slowly opened the box, revealing the Pokémon inside.

"Squirtle!" It said happily, looking up at Ryan with a happy look on its face.

Elated, Ryan lifted the Squirtle out of the box and hugged it.

"Aww." Ryan's mum cooed. "Those two look so great together".

"This is the best day ever!" Ryan said, happily. "Thank you everyone".

"Oh yes!" professor Juniper declared. "There's one more thing I want to give you".

The Professor then reached into his pocket and produced a pokedex.

"A little something extra to help you along your journey in the future". He said, handing it to Ryan.

"Sweet! Thank you." replied Ryan, now even more ecstatic.

"Well, I've got to be off". The professor told them. "I've got things to do and people to meet".

"Thank you for everything". Ryan's father told him.

"I'll be expecting to see you battling the Unova league in a few years too". Cedric told Ryan shaking his hand.

"Thank you professor". Ryan replied.

"Farewell". He told them as he walked out the front door.

As Ryan continued hugging his Squirtle, an idea came to him.

He then put Squirtle down, turned on his pokedex and scanned his new best friend.

_Squirtle_

_The Tiny Turtle Pokemon_

_It shelters itself in its shell, then strikes back with spouts of water at every opportunity._

_Level 5_

_Known Moves: Tackle and Tail whip_

_Special Ability: Torrent_

Ryan squealed with excitement.

"I'm so excited!" He yelled. "This makes me want to go on a journey even more".

"Not just yet champ". His father told him, chuckling. "Besides, you've still got some presents to open".

He motioned to the large pile of presents in the corner of the room.

"Are you ready Squirtle?" Ryan asked his new best friend.

"Squirtle Squirt!" Squirtle said.

"Well then, let's go!" Ryan yelled as he and Squirtle rushed the large present pile.

* * *

As Ryan and Squirtle peered out over the window ledge, the sound of music filled the air.

It had been over 3 years since Ryan and Squirtle had met and Ryan's 18th birthday and the beginning of his Pokémon journey were just 2 months away.

A lot had happened to the world during those 3 years. A Red Gyrados had been spotted at the Lake of Rage in the Johto region, Team Galactic had been thwarted in the Sinnoh region and Team Plasma had been defeated (twice).

However, nothing really significant had happened to Ryan in those few years.

In fact, the most significant thing that had happened was Squirtle reaching Level 7 from defeating any wild Pokémon that invaded the premises and subsequently learning Bubble.

Today, however, Ryan's parents were holding a special get-together for various family friends, complete with banquet and ball.

Unfortunately, Ryan wasn't very good at socialising with people. In fact, he was always uncomfortable with being in a room with lots of people, particularly some of the women, who where constantly fussing over him and Squirtle.

"Don't they look lovely?" They'd cooed.

As they looked out over the horizon, Squirtle was grumbling to himself.

"Don't worry buddy". Ryan said, rubbing Squirtle's head. "We'll be on our journey in two months, anyway. Just try and hold on till then, okay?"

"Squirtle". His friend muttered, obviously tired.

"I know. I'm tired too." Ryan told him. "I'd better put you to bed".

As Ryan clutched Squirtle close to his chest, he started heading back inside to tell his parents that Squirtle needed to rest.

However, as he started to head inside, he stopped as he noticed a girl standing on the other end of the balcony, looking at him.

The girl in question was a beautiful young girl, around the same age as Ryan. She had dark green eyes and long, flowing black hair. She was wearing a dark red formal gown and matching shoes. She was being followed around by a Vulpix, presumably her own.

Ryan felt his face begin to heat up.

"Hi there". Ryan said nervously. "Who might you be?"

"You know, it's not polite to ask a lady her name without introducing herself first". She replied.

"Oh. Sorry. I'm Ryan". He told her.

"Lucy. Pleasure to meet you".

"Squirtle" Ryan's buddy murmured, sleepily withdrawing into his shell.

"Sorry, Lucy. I'd love to hang around, but Squirtle's getting a bit tired". Ryan told her.

"As they do". Lucy told him, giving a small giggle. "Bye".

"Yes. Goodbye" Ryan said before heading inside.

"Mom, dad, Squirtle's getting sleepy. I'm going to put him to bed now". Ryan said, walking up to his parents.

This was greeted by more affectionate coos from the women.

"Okay then son". His dad said before heading off and chatting with some of his workmates.

"See you in the morning Squirtle". His mom said before heading off with some of her friends.

Wearily, Ryan walked upstairs, carrying Squirtle in his arms.

As he reached his room, Ryan gently placed Squirtle on his pillow.

However, as Ryan opened the door to head back downstairs, he found a Vulpix sitting in front of him.

Lucy soon arrived at the top of the stairs.

"There you are Vulpix", picking the Pokémon up. "I was getting worried about you".

Then she noticed Ryan.

"Oh. Hello Ryan". She said to him.

Ryan felt his face begin to heat up again.

"Hello Lucy". He replied.

"Just to let you know, everyone's heading home now" She told him.

"Ah. Well I hope you and your parents have had a good night and I hope you have a safe journey home". Ryan said politely.

Lucy smiled.

"We've had a great night. Thank you".

She turned to leave.

"Goodbye Ryan". She said.

"Goodbye Lucy". He replied.

As she walked back down the stairs with her Vulpix, Ryan just stared at her, completely entranced by her.

"If only I'd spent more time talking to her" Ryan thought to himself.

* * *

On the morning after, Ryan and Squirtle were awoken by a knock at his bedroom door.

"Come in" Ryan called, only half awake.

The door opened and Ryan's dad stepped in.

"Good morning Ryan" he said brightly. "Have a good sleep?"

"Yeah. Fine thanks" Replied Ryan.

Ryan's dad then sat down on the bed, next to Ryan.

"So why are you waking me up today? Usually you'd get Alexander to wake me up" Ryan asked.

"Well, I've come to talk to you about the little agreement we made two years ago". His dad replied.

Ryan had to rack his brains for a few seconds before eventually remembering what dad was talking about.

"You do remember the agreement, right?" Asked his dad.

"Of course I remember" Ryan replied. "The one where I have to get married before I head out on my Pokémon journey so I can have a secure future. How could I forget?"

"Good. You remember. Well then, I've just come here to say that your mother and I have found the perfect girl for you". Ryan's dad replied, ecstatically.

"Really? Who might the girl be?" Asked Ryan.

"I'm going to leave that to you to find out". Replied his dad. "However, I will tell you that the girl in question is coming over tonight to meet you".

"Okay. Thanks dad". Replied Ryan.

As Ryan's dad left for breakfast, Ryan thought about this for a minute.

I sure hope this girl is nice, Squirtle" he said to his buddy.

* * *

As the night rolled in, Ryan anxiously awaited for the arrival of his new fiancé.

He had pulled on his smartest clothes and spent ages sorting out his hair, just to impress her.

He stood on the staircase, looking at the door and waiting.

Just then, the door opened.

"The girl is here" Declared Alexander as he led her in.

Ryan looked at the girl.

And Lucy looked back.

The two stared in wonderment of a few moments.

"Um...hello Lucy" Ryan finally managed to say.

"Hello Ryan" she replied.

"Ah! Lucy! Lovely to see you!" Ryan's mother said, appearing from the living room.

"Thank you for inviting me, ma'am" Lucy replied.

"Well then, I bet you two have got lots to talk about" Ryan's mum told them.

She turned to Ryan.

"How about you take your new fiancé out to the garden, so you can have some alone time". She told them.

With that, the two teenagers walked out the back door and into the estate grounds.

"Well, this is...strange". Lucy said as stood out in the open, watching the stars.

"You can say that again" Ryan replied.

He turned to face her.

"You know, I wish we could've had more time to chat last night" Ryan told her "We could've had such a good time together".

"I know, Ryan" Lucy told him. "But that's all in the past and right now, we need to look towards to future".

She looked down to notice that Ryan's hands were shaking slightly.

She took his hands into hers, causing Ryan to start blushing.

"To confess, I'm excited for the wedding" Ryan said. "But I'm also a bit nervous as well".

"I'm kind of nervous as well" replied Lucy.

It was at this moment that the two began gazing directly into each others eyes.

After a few minutes of being entranced by the deep look in each others eyes, Lucy slowly leaned in and planted a kiss on Ryan's lips, causing Ryan to blush even more.

Whilst he was indeed shocked at first, he decided to go with it and returned the kiss.

"This is brilliant!" Ryan thought to himself. "I sure as hell hope this thing ends well".

* * *

_Several weeks later_

_Two days before the wedding_

"I told you, I'm not going through with this!"

"But Ryan, we made a deal! You promised you'd get married!"

"Does it have to be to _her_?!"

Despite the first night Ryan and Lucy had experienced together as a couple, their relationship had greatly soured since then. When it had started, the two were like peaches and cream. It seemed less like an arranged pairing and more like something actually genuine.

But over time, Lucy's true feelings began to show through her facade. At first, it was just small things. The odd remark about small things, such as Ryan's hair, his posture, stuff like that. Ryan didn't really take much note of these, writing these down to just the stresses of the wedding, as she and her father were responsible for a majority of the planning.

This then escalated into Lucy calling up Ryan in the wee hours of the day, just to make sure he was fully prepared for the following day if they had something big planned. This would be alright if 1) She didn't keep calling Ryan at times like this and 2) she wasn't so fussy about the smallest details, becoming cross at the smallest things not being the way she wanted them.

It was at this point that the phrase "Bridezilla" had begun to float around in the back of Ryan's mind, but Ryan just shrugged it off. He believed that once the wedding was over and they were officially married, everything would be back to normal.

These thoughts went out the window when Lucy began to openly insult him, claiming that he was "scruffy" or "naive", even calling him "stupid" to his very face.

But even then, he still persevered with Lucy, even if his confidence in their relationship had begun to falter quite considerably.

This confidence completely evaporated when she began to throw insults at his beloved Squirtle, calling the Tiny Turtle Pokemon "ghastly", "unsightly" and worst of all, demanding that Ryan get rid of his Squirtle in favor of a Pokemon of her choice, Lucy eventually deciding on a Piplup for him.

Beforehand, Ryan had gone along with a lot of things for Lucy. even if he didn't necessarily agree with them, if he believed that it would help them maintain their relationship.

However, no matter how much Lucy wanted Squirtle removed, the response from Ryan was a definitive one.

"No".

This response had led to a massive argument between the two earlier in the day, where Lucy claimed that Ryan was "useless", even going as far as to say that Ryan was nothing without her.

Ryan had had enough at this point and was now finally attempting to get his parents to cancel the whole thing.

"Look, Ryan, it's just the preparations. They're just getting to her. She'll calm down once the whole thing passes". His mother attempted to reassure him.

"I thought that as well Dad. Well, until she ordered me to get rid of my Squirtle!"

"Okay, fine. Maybe that is a bit over the top, but what do you want us to do about it?!" His Dad replied.

"Simple: Call up Jim and get this whole ordeal cancelled right away, please!"

"Cancel it?! But we've spent over $70,000 on you two!"

"Dad, how is that an issue?! You're a multi-millionaire! You have a net worth of...what was it? Oh that's right, $150,000,000! $70,000 is just chump change compared to what you make! Plus, that's not taking into account that Jim has been paying for quite a bit of it as well!"

Ryan's father was starting to lose patience.

"Ryan, it's too late to back out now! We're too far into the planning process to simply call it all off!"

"Dad, do you want me to live the rest of my life in a loveless relationship?!"

"DAMN IT, RYAN! THIS ISN'T FOR YOU, IT'S FOR US!" His father bellowed, finally losing patience.

This stunned both Ryan his mother into silence.

"What?" He muttered, shocked at the sudden outburst.

"CAN'T YOU SEE THAT WE'RE TRYING TO HELP YOU?! WE'RE TRYING TO SECURE THE FUTURE OF YOU AND THE COMPANY AND WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO?! YOU WANT TO RISK IT ALL ON BECOMING A POKEMON TRAINER! DO YOURSELF A FAVOUR, RYAN: **GROW! UP!** "

When Ryan's father realized that Ryan wasn't attempting to make a comeback, he decided to calm himself down before allowing this to escalate any further.

Too late.

As he took a deep breath, he noticed that Ryan wasn't even bothering to say anything, instead just standing there, looking down at the floor.

What was left of his anger quickly turned into regret for what he had just told his own son to his face when he noticed two small puddles of water forming at Ryan's feet, as tears fell from his face. His breathing was also quite shaky as well.

"Oh my god" Ryan's father muttered, shocked and disgusted at himself. This was the first time he had ever been this angry at his offspring. "Ryan, I am so sorry, I just-"

Before he could apologize further, Ryan's shaky breathing suddenly turned into quiet chuckling. It was the kind of which sounded pained, where the laughter still clearly gave an indication as to how upset the person laughing actually was.

When Ryan lifted his head back up to look his father in the eye, the elder Keyes finally got to see the anguish on the face of his son.

His entire face had gone a shade of red. His bottom lip quivered as tears rolled down his cheeks before slipping off his face and crashing to the floor.

"So that's it, huh?" Ryan said to his father, shakily. "You're just... _trying to help me_?"

She let out another pained chuckle.

"Sure. Help all you want. Make all of your 17 year-old son's decisions for him. Never mind that fact that you're pairing him up with a girl he has grown to hate. Never mind the fact that the relationship between the two has soured so much it would be hilarious if it weren't so awful and above all else, never find that fact that their marriage would MOST LIKELY END WITH EITHER A MESSY DIVORCE OR A BODY BAG!"

Ryan's anger had begun to boil over at this point as he began to shake.

"But oh, no! Don't worry about him! He's just being IMMATURE, CHASING HIS DREAM! DON'T WORRY ABOUT HIS OPINION! HE MIGHT AS WELL BE _**DEAD!**_ "

With that, Ryan turned around and stormed out of the room, up the stairs and into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

For a few moments, Ryan didn't say or do anything. He just stood in his room, shaking angrily as tears continued to fall.

Then, finally, he released a loud, angry scream before turning around and punching the door as hard as his body would allow, leaving a small dent in the woodwork. This was closely followed up by another loud scream.

Finally, Ryan slumped against the door before placing his head in his hands as he began to sob loudly.

"Destroyed" would be the best way to describe just how he felt at that very moment. It was as if someone had just grabbed a sledgehammer and in one foul swoop, demolished his resolve.

Ryan knew what it felt like to be alone. He never really had many friends growing up. But he had never felt as alone as this before.

Just then, he felt something tugging against his shirt sleeve.

Looking over, he found his Squirtle, looking up at him with the saddest of eyes, as if he was about to start crying as well.

At that very moment, nothing mattered more to Ryan than protecting his closest friend.

The young trainer simply picked his best friend up and brought him in for an embrace.

As the two held onto each other as tight as possible, they both began to cry together.

"Don't worry, mate" Ryan said to his friend between sobs. "I won't let them get to you. Ever."

* * *

Ryan only came out of his room just once the following day to get breakfast and a few other snacks, and that was long before anyone else got up.

Asides from that, he spent the entire day cooped up inside, never leaving the room.

Every couple of hours or so, his parents would attempt to either coax him out of his bedroom or persuade him to let them in, so that they could talk to him. However, each attempt proved fruitless, with Ryan replying with only silence.

Meanwhile, Alexander was just left looking in on the whole situation, feeling pity for the younger Keyes.

He had been in the kitchen preparing dinner when he overheard the argument Ryan and his father were having the other day.

Whilst he knew they he wasn't related by blood to them, they had still come to treat him as if he was actually a part of the family, so it broke his heart to hear Ryan break down in tears.

He also knew just how Ryan was feeling as well. Secretly, he had begun to take a dislike to Lucy as well, even if he wasn't able to do anything about it. Whilst he had been born into money, Alexander found Ryan to be humble. Lucy, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. Every time she came over, she always expected ridiculous quality and everything to be inch-perfect.

Whilst Alexander went about it without complaining (it was his job, after all), this constant nitpicking in things had begun to wear thin. He had also taken quite a liking to Squirtle as well, so the thought of the Pokemon being evicted from the household hurt him as well.

It was just after lunch when Alexander decided to try and talk to Ryan himself.

Coming up to the bedroom door, the butler gently knocked on it.

"Hello? Master Ryan? Don't worry, it's me. It's Alexander". He said softly.

No reply.

"I just want to talk to you, Master Ryan. I just want to see if you're alright".

Initially, there was also no reply. However, sounds of feet shuffling across the carpet soon came from within.

Sure enough, as the door swung open, the butler was met by Ryan.

The aspiring trainer looked a mess. Still in his pyjamas, his wrinkled clothes were covered in crumbs from various different snacks. But the most telling indication as to Ryan's current state of mind was the melancholy look on his face and his bed hair.

Ryan didn't say anything. He just stared at the butler, his expression never changing.

This continued until Alexander cleared his throat.

"Ahem. Well, it's good to see that you're still breathing, young sir. Err...may I come in?"

Still remaining silent, Ryan simply stepped to the side, allowing him to enter.

As he sat himself down on Ryan's desk chair, he noticed that his bin had been almost filled to the brim with emptied snack packets. In addition, his emptied breakfast bowl was sat on the desk, with only a thin layer of milk left at the bottom.

Shutting the door behind him, Ryan sat himself down on the bed, with his sleeping Squirtle lying on the pillows, hiding inside its shell.

"Came to see if I'm alright, huh?" Ryan finally asked in a quiet voice. "Well let me ask you something: Do I look alright to you?"

Alexander sighed. "No, sir. No you don't".

"Damn straight. Tell me something, have you ever felt as if you were truly alone? As if no one could help you out".

"On occasion, yes. But if I may point out, you aren't truly alone. Firstly, you have your Squirtle. Secondly,...you have me".

This caught Ryan's attention.

"I didn't just come in here to talk to you, Master Ryan. I came to offer you a piece of advice".

"If you're going to tell me to grow up, then I swear to god-"

"No, no. It's just that...well, do you remember a few years ago when you had that bike you wanted?"

"Yeah. So?"

"So what did you do when you expressed that you really wanted it? You started helping out around the house. You started doing whatever chores you could to earn yourself some pocket money and eventually saved up to be able to afford it. Sure, it took quite a few months, but you made it in the end. I guess what I'm trying to say is that when you truly set your mind on something, you don't stop until you reach your goal".

"What does that have to do with my current situation".

"Well, let's look at it this way: you really want to go on a Pokemon journey with your Squirtle. However, your parents arranged for you to get married to a girl whom not just you, but I myself have grown to hate. Above the many things she wants you to do, she wants you to get rid of your closest friend. To that, I say this: Who's to let her decide what you want to do. It's your life, good sir. You get to make the decision. In fact, don't wait until this whole thing blows over to go on a journey. Why not go on a journey now?"

It was with these words that the lights finally seemed to come back on in Ryan's life.

"You mean...just up and leave?"

"Precisely, Master Ryan".

"Jeez, Man. I...I don't know, about that. I mean, I did promise that I'd stay behind until I was 18".

"Yes, but if you stay behind, you've got to get married to Lucy. Besides, you're 17. I personally believe that you have the fortitude to make it. It's just a question of whether or not you have the talent, and there's really only one way to find out".

Ryan thought about this. Break the promise and begin his journey or stay behind and be married to Lucy.

"I can understand if you don't want to go through with the escape. You made an agreement with your father and you're probably apprehensive about breaking it. I understand".

He stood up, making his first moves to leave.

"But still, if you do decide to go with it..."

He then leaned over and whispered into Ryan's ear.

"...I'll leave the front door and the gate unlocked".

With that, he opened the door and left the room, leaving Ryan to ponder his decision.

It wasn't as easy as he had hoped. On the one hand, he could stay behind and go through with the wedding. This would make his parents happy and help to secure his future. Plus, he would still be able to leave on his journey when he turned 18. But on the flip side, the relationship between Ryan would be in a loveless marriage with someone who treated him like dirt AND he would have to remove his best friend.

On the other hand, he could abscond with Squirtle in the middle of the night when everyone else was asleep and begin his journey, thus avoiding the wedding. As a positive, he would be going for his dream goal of becoming a champion or at the very least, a top-tier Pokemon trainer. He and his best friend would be able to see the sights and the sounds of the Unova Region like never before and battle all sorts of trainers. On the flip side, this would mean breaking the promise with his parents. Plus, he knew firsthand how angry Lucy could get, so the idea of what her reaction would be when she discovered that her husband-to-be had run off on the wedding day.

He shuddered slightly.

But it was at this moment where a single thought lit up in his mind.

"What if I actually make it?"

Ryan always knew that he would most likely take over from his father. There was nothing wrong with this in Ryan's mind, but it just didn't sit right with him. Not properly, anyway. In his mind, this meant he would be permanently stuck in the shadow of his father, destined to remain in it until the day he died.

But what if he actually accomplished his dream? What if he actually beat all eight gym leaders, ascended the Unova League and actually became Unova League Champion? This would allow him to step out on his own.

"Why be the second Frank Keyes, when I can be the first Ryan Keyes?" He asked himself quietly.

He knew right then and there what to do.

Turning to his friend, he began to tap on Squirtle's shell.

"Hey Squirtle, wake up. I've got something to tell you".

Tentatively, the Tiny Turtle Pokemon poked his head and limbs out of its shell, squinting tiredly.

Ryan picked him up, holding him in his arms as if he were a newborn.

"I've got some good news for you, my friend. We're getting out of here. I'm not going to lose you because of that stuck up brat".

Squirtle's face instantly lit up with joy as a big smile appears on his face.

"Squirtle!" The Tiny Turtle declared happily before Ryan placed a finger on his lips.

"But we can't leave just yet, though. We'll leave tonight. that way, we can get out without my parents knowing. Think you can handle that?"

Squirtle gave a small salute.

"That's good to know"

The two happily embraced. For the first time in a while, it felt as if there was actually a light at the end of the tunnel. The two finally felt as if there was a way out.

"Alright, you. Get yourself some rest. I'll set my alarm".

As Squirtle disappeared inside his shell again, Ryan gently placed him onto one side of the pillow on his bed before reaching over to set his alarm.

"Midnight should do it".

Once this was done, Ryan drew his curtains before climbing into bed himself and shutting his eyes, eagerly awaiting the journey ahead.

* * *

The moderately loud bleeping of his alarm was the first thing that Ryan heard when he woke up.

Instinctively, he quickly turned over, reached out and deactivated it.

_"00:00"_ The alarm read.

"Perfect"

As quickly and as quietly as possible, the trainer clambered out of bed and went over to his wardrobe.

Firstly, he picked himself out some clothes for the journey: a black T-shirt, a dark green jacket, denim jeans and a light grey, red and white trainer's cap, along with several different pairs of socks and underwear.

After a little bit of rummaging, he also found a sleeping bag, small enough to fit in his backpack.

He then went over to his desk drawers to find more items. Unfortunately, he could only find a handful of things that he would need: a flashlight, his wallet (with roughly $300 in it) and credit card and his Pokedex.

Placing his attire for the day in a small, neatly folded pile and holding them in one hand, Ryan entered the bathroom.

As much as he wanted to have a warm shower, Ryan really wanted to leave as quickly as possible, so had to stick with cold temperature, trying his hardest not to squeal.

After quickly drying himself off and pulling on his clothes, he proceeded to brush his teeth like a madman.

Spitting out the last blob of toothpaste and saliva, he took a moment to look at himself in the mirror. His heart had begun to flutter a little bit. This was it. In just a few minutes, he and Squirtle would be on their journey. As he continued to inspect himself, he noted that he did indeed have the look of a trainer. It was just a question about if he was talented enough to be one.

"Guess we'll find that one eventually".

Ryan decided to return to the task at hand, remembering to pick up his toothbrush, toothpaste and a comb as he left the bathroom.

At this point, Squirtle was fully awake, standing on Ryan's bed and raring to go.

Finally, producing a backpack out of the wardrobe, Ryan proceeded to cram his supplies into it. Thankfully, it was one of those backpacks with three large sections, thus allowing Ryan to separate his stuff. His clothes and sleeping back went into the largest pocket at the back, whilst his other stuff went into the middle pocket, leaving the front pocket free for other things.

It was whilst Ryan was zipping up the bag when he realized that he would need to bring something extra along in the event of boredom, turning to his desk for answers.

Rather curiously, his eyes fell upon a small Sudoku puzzle book, which he hadn't even attempted for several months.

He shrugged.

"Why not?" He thought to himself, placing it in the front pocket, along with a pen. He also elected to take two books with him as well:

_Pokemon Battling for Dummies_ and _Red: The Pride of Pallet Town_

Finally zipping up his bag, Ryan was ready to go.

"You ready, Squirtle?" He asked quietly, turning to his buddy.

"Squirtle!" The Tiny Turtle Pokemon replied in an equal tone, nodding happily.

"I guess that's a yes. Well, let's not wait around any longer".

Ryan hoisted his bag onto his back, picked up his partner and silently snuck out of his bedroom, careful not to wake his parents. He then proceeded to slowly sneak downstairs and up to the front door, where he slowly and carefully opened it, stepped through and shut it again, still carrying Squirtle.

"Okay buddy. Now we're almost there". He whispered to him as he began to sneak down the long driveway, towards the gate.

As they got further away from the house, Ryan picked up the pace and broke into a silent walk. He proceeded to get faster and faster, before he found himself sprinting towards the gate.

Thankfully for him, he was able to gently remove the gate lock, open the gate, step through and shut the gate again.

He then sprinted on a little further before diving into the undergrowth.

"Well Squirtle" he said, looking back at his home. "It's just you and me from now on".

"Sewaddle!" Came the cry of a Pokémon from somewhere within the forest.

The two looked around to discover that a Sewaddle was sitting on a tree branch, staring angrily at them.

As they looked around, they noticed even more angry Sewaddle looking at them.

Then, suddenly, the whole group of them unleashed string shot on the two, covering them lots of thin silk.

Knowing that things weren't looking good, Ryan broke out of the string and dashed away with Squirtle, whilst the Sewaddle began to chase after them.

As they dashed onwards, more and more Sewaddle began to chase after them, screeching angrily.

After a short distance of running Ryan and Squirtle turned to face them.

"Looks like we're going to have to do this the hard way." Ryan said. " **Squirtle! Use Bubble!** "

Squirtle began to shoot countless bubbles at the Sewaddle army.

Squirtle did well to hold his own, easily knocking a few out, but he was soon overwhelmed by the countless Sewaddle and, to Ryan's horror, knocked out from their Tackle attack.

As Ryan scooped up his unconscious partner, he continued to run.

However, as he ran, the Sewaddle continued to give chase, continually shooting him with String Shot.

Ryan could easily shake a few of them off, but the gradually built up, until Ryan couldn't tear the string off.

The string was also seriously sapping his strength as well.

Eventually, Ryan lost all of his strength from running (or at this point, hopping) away from the Sewaddle and fell to the ground, still clutching Squirtle.

As the Sewaddle drew closer, Ryan felt himself become very light headed.

Just then, however, he heard the sound of running footsteps getting closer to him.

Then he heard the sound of two pokeballs being opened, followed by two voices.

" **Sceptile! Leaf Storm!** "

" **Blaziken! Flare Blitz!** "

As Ryan watched, hundreds of flying leaves and small fireballs flew at the Sewaddle, driving back into the forest.

As Ryan began to black out, he could vaguely make out four pairs of eyes looking down at him.

Two Humans. Two Pokémon.

The last thing Ryan heard before blacking out was a voice.

"These guys don't look too good. We'd better take them to the Pokémon centre..."


	2. Run, Ryan, Run!

Frank Keyes stood in front of the mirror, tightening up his jet black tie.

He knew what guilt felt like. It was a feeling he had gotten very familiar with as of late.

When he and Ryan agreed to their little deal, he never intended it to bring any harm to his son. It was just meant to be a little something to secure both their futures.

Honestly, when he first met Lucy, she seemed like just the right sort of girl for Ryan. Good looking, intelligent and quiet. Pretty much everything he thought Ryan was.

But alas, over time, Lucy's true nature had been revealed to him. Now, the whole idea of Ryan marrying someone like Lucy hurt him. He wished that there was some way he could sort the whole thing out before it ended up tearing his son apart. Unfortunately,  
he knew that there was no way to do so. As much as he had grown to hate Lucy, she knew people. Powerful people. People who could end up putting him, his wife and his son in a world of pain if she didn't get what she wanted and as long as those people  
were there, there was no feasible way out of this predicament.

Plus, he owed Jim anyway.

He sighed as he pulled on his jacket, knowing that Ryan would most likely never forgive him and his mother for going along with this.

"Oh well" He thought to himself. "Let's just hope this all turns out for the best".

Somehow, he had a feeling that it wouldn't.

Regrettably, he left his bedroom, walking across the landing towards Ryan's room.

Looking over the banister, he saw dozens of people rushing about below, getting everything ready. Seats had already been laid out in several rows, ready for the guests to arrive.

Alexander was busy in the kitchen, helping to make final preparations for the food.

Finally, reaching his son's bedroom door, he gently knocked against it. He knew he needed to do things right. He hadn't actually seen Ryan for the whole day yesterday.

"Ryan? Are you alright? It's me. It's your father".

No reply.

"Ryan? Hello-o?"

Still no reply. Perhaps he was still asleep.

Frank tentatively pressed down on the door handle, gently pushing the door open, expecting to find Ryan and his Pokemon still fast asleep.

However, when he looked over at his bed, he didn't find him. In fact, the only sign that Ryan had even been in the room were the creases in the bedsheets where Ryan had been sitting and the fact that his pyjamas were strewn across the floor before him.

Rather worryingly, Squirtle was nowhere to be seen as well.

A little bit concerned as to the whereabouts of his son, Frank shuffled across the carpet and towards his en-suite, hoping Ryan was there as well. But as he opened the door and peered in, he found the same answer as before: no Ryan and no Squirtle.

It was at this point that he had a rather worrying thought.

"Has he...no...he hasn't. He wouldn't...would he?"

Quickly, he ran over to Ryan's desk and threw open the drawers, rummaging around inside of them.

"Where is it? Where is it?"

However, much to his horror, as he finished rummaging through the final drawer, he couldn't find Ryan's Pokedex.

His first reaction was to bolt over to his wardrobe and rummage around inside for any sign that Ryan he done what Frank had feared he had done. As he through open the doors, however, his worst fears were confirmed. Ryan's backpack was missing as well.

With his heart beating out of his chest, he bolted downstairs as quickly as he could, weaving in and out of people before entering the kitchen, finding Alexander looking over the finishing touches for the wedding cake.

When the butler noticed Frank he almost instantly realized that something was up.

"Master Frank, is something wrong?"

Frank had to calm himself down a little bit first before replying.

"He...he's gone! Ryan's gone! He's taken Squirtle and his Pokedex with him as well!"

At that moment, Alexander felt like jumping for joy. However, he knew it would be best to keep his true feelings hidden.

"Oh my word. Well, have you tried looking around, sir? I mean, p-perhaps he's still here, trying to pull a trick on you". He replied, feigning shock.

Frank shook his head. "This is no trick. He's taken his bag with him as well. Plus, you and I both know that when Ryan's heart is firmly set on doing something, he'll do it".

Ryan and Alexander spent the next half an hour rushing around the grounds, trying desperately to locate any sign of Ryan still being on the premises. Their efforts ended up proving fruitless.

In the meantime, word was put out to the guests that the wedding was being called off until they could locate Ryan. The staff couldn't get a hold of Lucy's father, however. He most likely was already on the way there, Lucy with him.

Ryan's mother was naturally devastated by the news, being reduced to tears when she heard that her son had run away. As Frank tried as hard as he could to console her, he tried to place the blame on something else. But no matter how hard he tried, there  
was only one person he could properly blame: himself. He knew that he shouldn't have pressured Ryan into agreeing to the deal. He knew that marrying him off to Lucy was a bad idea.

However, his self-loathing was interrupted when one of the staff ran into the room.

"The bride is here".

A feeling of dread fell over him. He knew he had to be the bearer of bad news and tell Lucy that her Fiancee had bailed out on their wedding.

Putting on a fake smile, he left the room and headed downstairs to greet Jim and his daughter.

Now, frank had to give credit where credit was due: as much as he had grown to dislike Lucy, she knew how to look good and today was no exception. She stood before Frank dressed in a beautiful, crisp white satin dress which seemed to hang just mere millimeters  
from the floor. A wedding veil was draped over the back of her head as well.

Her Ninetales had also had some work done as well, adorned with beautiful little accessories.

"Ah, Lucy! There you are!" Frank said to the bride, trying as hard as he could to make it sound as if everything was fine. "You look...erm-I-Incredible"

"Are you alright, Frank?" Jim asked, slightly concerned. "You seem a bit flustered"

"Uh...w-well, you see, the thing is...we are having a rather small...setback"

Lucy huffed.

"Is Ryan being difficult again?"

"Umm...I guess you could call it that, but..."

The bride gave a dismissive wave of the hand.

"It's alright. I'll talk some sense into him. Come, Ninetales" she replied before marching up the stairs, her Pokemon accompanying her.

When she was eventually out of earshot, Frank leaned over to Jim and began whispering to him.

"He's gone".

"Who? Who's gone?" Jim replied in an equal tone.

"Who do you think? Ryan's gone. Took Squirtle with him as well."

"What? When did this happen?"

"We just found out earlier. He's probably in Aspertia City by now".

"Then why the heck did you lie to my daughter about it?"

"Well-"

Frank eventually didn't need to answer, as a loud, glass shattering scream echoed out of Ryan's bedroom.

"That's why".

* * *

Ryan felt like he'd been punched in the face.

As he eventually came round, he sat up, rubbing his face.

"Where am I?" He mumbled.

As he looked around, he soon realised that he was in a bed in a pokemon centre, most likely in Floccesy town.

There was only one other person in the room with him: a girl was sitting on the bed opposite him, staring at the screen on her laptop. She was wearing black shorts and an orange-red sleeveless top, complete with a green bandana on her head.

She looked up from her laptop to notice Ryan.

"Ah, you're awake" she said as she got off the bed and went over to him.

"How did I get here?" Ryan asked, still dazed.

"Well, my boyfriend and I found you under attack from a group of Sewaddle, so we drove them away and took you and your Squirtle here" she told him.

Ryan then realised something: Squirtle wasn't in the room with them.

"Wait, where's my buddy?" Ryan asked, looking around and getting increasingly worried.

"Don't worry" the girl told him reassuringly "My boyfriend's taken him to get checked out by the nurses here".

She held out her hand.

"I'm May"

Ryan shook her hand.

"I'm Ryan. Glad to meet you".

Just then, the door opened.

In walked a boy, roughly the same age as May, being tailed by a Squirtle.

Ryan instantly recognised the Squirtle as his own.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle yelled as he ran up to Ryan.

"Squirtle! Thank god you're alright!" Cried Ryan as he scooped up his friend and hugged him tightly.

However, as he looked over at the boy who'd brought Squirtle in, his jaw dropped.

The boy in question was a little bit older and taller than him.

He was wearing a red and black jacket, black trousers and red, green and black trainers, complete with a green bag on his back, green headband and a white knit cap.

He instantly recognised him.

"I KNOW YOU!" Ryan screamed with excitement, almost dropping Squirtle. "I WAS THERE TO SEE YOU DEFEAT THE HOENN LEAGUE A FEW YEARS AGO!"

"Ah, so you remember me." The boy replied happily, holding out his hand. "Brendan."

Ryan gripped Brendan's hand and shook it madly.

"Ryan!" He replied, still fanboying all over the place.

* * *

_Flashback_

_Ever Grande City_

_4 years ago_

The stadium was buzzing with excitement.

As time ticked by, the tension seemed almost unbearable.

In the middle of the stadium, a large battlefield was etched into the ground.

At one end of the stadium stood the extravagantly dressed and flamboyant champion of the Hoenn Region.

Wallace.

However, for once, Wallace wasn't the centre of attention.

It was who he would be facing.

In a few moments time, Wallace would be facing off against a young trainer for Littleroot Town.

One of the most talked about trainers on this side of the world.

Brendan.

There was good reason for the crowd to be eager for the battle to get underway.

For a start, those who had witnessed Brendan's earlier battles had seen the incredible skill that he and his Pokémon had used when battling, wiping out any team that happened to get in their way.

Then, as Brendan's gym battles went more and more public, he following increased dramatically, just like the sheer firepower of his team, particularly his signature Sceptile, which he had gained as a Treecko from Professor Birch after he'd saved him from  
a raging Zigzagoon.

What's more, only a few days ago, he'd saved the entire world from a catastrophic event by thwarting both Team Magma and Team Aqua, obtaining a Rayquaza in the wake of this.

However, despite having one of the most powerful Pokémon on the planet with him, Brendan had opted against using it in the League, as he wanted more of a challenge.

That being said, it didn't stop him from annihilating the Elite Four.

Now, the crowd were just waiting eagerly for him to arrive in the stadium.

However, up in the hospitality box, there was one young boy who was more eager than all the rest.

Ryan.

He was eagerly waiting in his seat, alongside his parents and his two friends, Jason and Selina.

Ryan had eagerly been following the footsteps of Brendan ever since he'd first seen him in action and had come here today hoping that he would become the Hoenn League champion.

However, Jason and Selina were still trying to decide who they thought should win.

"Brendan's probably going to win. I mean, he did defeat the elite four, the eight...erm, nine gym leaders, Team Aqua and Team Magma"

"Yes, but Wallace defeated Steven. With Water and Grass types. Can you see Brendan doing that?"

"Maybe, but Brendan caught a Rayquaza".

"With a master ball".

Ryan calmed them down.

"Lets just see how the battle goes".

Then, right on cue, the crowd started cheering.

As their attention returned to the stadium, they saw what they were cheering about.

At the other end of the stadium, Brendan was walking through the entrance, waving to the roaring crowd.

Once the cheering had died down and the young trainer had taken his place at his end of the battlefield, Wallace spoke.

"Welcome, Brendan. That incident in Sootopolis City... That was superb work, putting an end to that crisis all by yourself. Oops! It wouldn't be fair to say that you alone ended the crisis. You overcome that difficult situation by working as one with  
your Pokémon. We Trainers raise Pokémon by giving them items and by teaching them new techniques for battle. But we ourselves also learn many things from Pokémon. And this is where your achievements are put to the test against what others like you  
have achieved. Now! Who can most elegantly dance with their Pokémon in Hoenn? Show me right here and now! Brendan, are you ready?"

Brendan simply replied.

"I'm ready"

The crowd cheered at this.

"LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!" Yelled the referee.

The two trainers then went for their first pokeballs.

" **Wailord! Go!** "

" **Sceptile! I choose you!** "

Once the battle got underway, the two Pokémon engaged in furious hand to hand combat.

As the battle dragged on, the advantage swung back and forth between the defending champion and the young trainer from Littleroot.

However, Brendan was always going to have an edge.

Admittedly, Wallace's Tentacruel and Gyrados did slow the progress of his team down slightly, but that still didn't stop them from powering through.

Eventually it came down to just two Pokémon. Wallace's Milotic and Brendan's Sceptile.

However, Brendan still had three more Pokémon in his party.

As the two Pokemon traded blow after blow, Ryan was mesmerised by the action.

He had long been dreaming about becoming a champion himself. However, watching the battle made Ryan want to become something more.

He now wanted to be the best. Better than Steven, better than Wallace, better than Brendan, even better than Red and Blue.

Finally, Milotic dropped to the ground, unconscious once Sceptile had landed one final Leaf Blade attack.

"Milotic is unable to battle!" Yelled the referee. "Sceptile wins, which means the victor is the challenger: Brendan!"

And with that, the crowd (and Brendan) went wild.

* * *

_Present Day_

After a short while fanboying, Brendan and May managed to calm Ryan down.

"So what exactly are you two doing out here in the Unova region?" Asked Ryan.

"Well, Brendan and I were feeling a bit deflated, so we decided to take a trip here to see the sight and the Pokémon" Replied May.

"I think the better question here would be why we found you and your Squirtle being attacked from Sewaddle during the middle of the night" Inquired Brendan.

"Well, I'd better start from the beginning" Ryan told them, sighing.

"To start off with, I wasn't allowed to go on my Pokémon journey when I turned 10. In fact, my parents told me that I couldn't go until I'd turned 18, so as to ensure that I wouldn't make many silly mistakes. However though, I was allowed to get my starter  
Pokémon before then and I received Squirtle on the 14th birthday. However though, what set the ball in motion for this chain of events to happen is when I agreed with my dad that I would get married before heading off on my Pokémon journey, so as  
to secure my future".

"Sounds more like him just trying to secure more money" May said, disgusted.

"Too right" Ryan replied. "Anyway, I couldn't pick the girl I wanted to marry. Instead, I had to marry the girl that my parents picked out for me: a girl called Lucy. To begin with, she was a fairly nice girl. However, after our wedding was announced,  
she became more controlling and possessive. But worst of all, she demanded that I get rid of Squirtle in favour of a piplup".

"What a stuck up brat!" Brendan declared.

"Didn't your parents do anything about this?" Asked May.

"I tried to talk some sense into my parents, but there was no persuading them. So, I had to resort to one of my most extreme options: run away on the eve of my wedding and start my Pokémon adventure early".

"How awful" Brendan remarked.

"Well, with that out of the way, I presume the next step for you would be to take on the Pokémon gyms" May said.

"Yes" Replied Ryan

"And take on the Unova league"

"Too right"

"Well, how about we come with?" Asked Brendan "We'd love to see the sights and we could also help you along on your journey".

"I don't see why not" Ryan said happily.

"Very well then. May, where are we heading first?" Asked Brendan.

May pulled out a travel guide and began to read it.

"It says that the best place to start for beginner trainers in the Unova region is to visit the Aspertia City gym and take on Cheren, the Normal Type Gym leader" She read.

"Normal type" Ryan said to himself. "If that's the case, I might need to catch a fighting type Pokémon to give me an advantage".

"I heard it's possible to catch a Riolu around these parts". May told him.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Declared Brendan, marching out of the room. "ADVENTURE HO!"

* * *

The three trainers soon found themselves hiding in the bushes outside Floccesy town, watching and waiting for a Riolu to appear.

"Here. Take these" Brendan whispered, handing Ryan ten pokeballs.

Their attention then returned to spotting wild Pokémon.

Patrat

Patrat

Purrlion

Pidove

Patrat

Lillipup

Purrlion

Finally after much waiting around, the trio finally spotted a Riolu hiding in the undergrowth.

Then, Ryan and Squirtle leapt out from behind the bush where they were hiding.

"Ok. **Squirtle! Use Tackle!** "

Squirtle promptly launched a powerful tackle attack at the Riolu, causing it to fly off its feet.

The Riolu then launched a powerful Quick Attack, dealing a significant amount of damage to Squirtle.

" **Squirtle! Tackle! Once more!** "

Squirtle then launched another powerful Tackle and the Riolu. It managed to brace itself using endure, but it was still dealt a large amount of damage.

The Riolu, realising that it wounldn't be able to hold his own, started to make a break for it.

"Oh no you don't!" Ryan yelled as he pulled out a pokeball.

" **Go Pokeball!** "

Ryan pokeball flew through the air before bouncing off Riolu's head, opening and sucking the Riolu in.

Ryan, Brendan, May and Squirtle then waited to see if it would work.

_Vwoop_

_Vwoop_

_Vwoop_

_CLICK_

A huge smile spread across Ryan's face as he walked over to the pokeball and picked it up.

"YES!" He yelled "My first Pokémon capture! Great job Squirtle!"

"Not bad at all for a rookie trainer" Brendan told him, coming out from behind the hedge, along with May, and giving Ryan a pat on the back.

"Okay Riolu, come on out" Ryan said, opening the pokeball and allowing Riolu out.

Riolu barked happily.

Ryan then pulled out his pokedex and scanned Riolu

_Riolu_

_The Emanation Pokémon_

_It uses the shapes of auras, which change according to emotion, to communicate with others._

_Lvl: 6_

_Known Moves:_

_Foresight_

_Quick Attack_

_Endure_

_Counter_

_Special Ability: Inner Focus_

"This'll give you a good advantage when you battle Cheren" May told him.

"Well then. Riolu, welcome to the team" Ryan told him happily.

As Squirtle climbed onto Ryan's shoulder, he pulled out his pokeball and started to withdraw Riolu into it.

Just then, however, he heard a voice nearby.

"RYAN! WHERE ARE YOU?"

Ryan froze.

"Damn" he muttered to himself.

"Who's that?" Asked Brendan.

"That's my Dad" Replied Ryan, a feeling of dread in his voice.

"WE'RE NOT ANGRY WITH YOU! WE JUST WANT TO TALK TO YOU!"

"That's my Mum..."

"RYAN, YOU'D BETTER COME OUT OR ELSE YOU'LL BE SORRY YOU WERE BORN!"

"...And that's Lucy!"

"Shall we run?" Asked May.

"Good idea!" Declared Ryan.

With that, the three trainers bolted away, with Squirtle holding onto Ryan's shoulder and Riolu keeping up surprisingly easily.

Next stop: Aspertia City.


	3. Gym Battles 101

After what felt like miles of running, Ryan, Brendan and May, Squirtle and Riolu trudged into Aspertia City, worn out and hungry.

"Thank god that's over with" gasped Ryan.

Their stomachs began growling.

"Now I don't know about you, but my stomach's killing me" Brendan declared. "How about we grab a bite to eat".

"I think a buffet will seem more fitting" May added.

With that, the group stopped by the local Pokémon center for lunch.

As Brendan tucked into his food, he noticed that Ryan and May were staring at the screen on May's laptop.

"Hey, what's up?" Asked Brendan.

"Oh, we're just watching a video of one of Cheren's gym battles" Ryan explained "We're trying to work out a suitable battle plan from it"

Once the video finished, Ryan and May closed the laptop and pondered whilst they tucked into their food.

"Okay, from what I've seen, Cheren battles with two Pokémon, a Patrat and a Lillipup". Ryan said thoughtfully. "It also appears that the Lillipup is the strongest of the two. Since I'm going to be battling with Squirtle and Riolu, I'm going to need to decide how to run with this."

"Well, since Squirtle is the strongest of the two, I'd suggest putting that up against the Lillipup" added Brendan.

Ryan checked Squirtle with his pokedex again.

_Level 10_

_Known moves:_

_Tackle_

_Tail whip_

_Bubble_

_Withdraw_

"It appears that Squirtle has gone up a few levels from fending off those Sewaddle" Ryan told his friends."I guess the only major worry is that Riolu might not be up to combat strength just yet".

"He may be soon, though" Brendan told them as he reached into his bag and pulled out three sweets in blue wrapping. "Take give these rare candies to Riolu. It'll boost him up a couple of levels".

"Sweet. Thanks" Ryan replied as he unwrapped the sweets and gave them to Riolu.

"Oh, and you might want to give this to Squirtle" Brendan added, pulling out one more rare candy, which Ryan unwrapped and fed to Squirtle.

Once they'd finished eating, Ryan got Squirtle and Riolu checked over and returned Riolu to his pokeball before he, Brendan and may headed off to the gym.

"Wait a minute. It's a school as well?" May asked as they headed towards the main entrance.

"Exactly. Cheren teaches the kids to become great Pokemon trainers and eventually, they'll take him on in a Pokemon battle" Ryan explained. "However, he will also gladly take on outsiders as well".

The three trainers entered the building and walked straight up to the receptionist waiting for them.

"Hello. Welcome to the Aspertia City Trainer School and Gym" she told them. "How can I help you?"

"I'm here to battle Cheren for my first gym badge" Ryan told her.

"Right this way then, please" She said happily, getting out of her chair and leading the trio through the corridors.

As they walked past various classroom, the kids stopped and stared in awe at the Squirtle Ryan was carrying.

At last, the receptionist lead them into a classroom.

As they'd thought, Cheren was standing at the front, giving a lesson to the students.

"Cheren, a group of trainers have just arrived" the receptionist told Cheren. "One of them wants to battle you".

The entire group of students, along with Cheren, looked in the direction of the three trainers, making Ryan feel slightly uneasy.

He'd never been good with lots of attention.

He squirmed slightly.

The girls began cooing over Ryan's Squirtle.

"It's just so cute!" They all cooed, with a collection of "awwwwww"'s from the girls.

The attention of the boys, however, was all on Brendan, as they rushed up to him, asking him all sorts of questions.

"What Pokémon do you have?"

"What was it like battling Wallace?"

"Did you really see a Rayquaza?"

"Are you here to battle Cheren?"

"Can I have your autograph?"

"Everybody calm down!" Called out Cheren.

The students rapidly returned to their seats in almost complete silence, waiting to hear what Cheren would say.

"Okay, so which one of you is the challenger?" He asked.

The entire class leaned forwards, mostly hoping that it was Brendan.

Brendan smiled.

"I'm sorry to say that I'm not the challenger in this case".

The entire class delivered one collective disappointed groan.

Brendan then placed a hand on Ryan's shoulder.

"This is Ryan. He's new on his journey and he'd like to battle you". Brendan told Cheren.

Cheren looked at Ryan.

Then he looked at the Squirtle on his shoulder before pondering for a few moments.

"Very well then" he declared. "Ryan, I accept your challenge"

Cheren turned to the class.

"Lesson timeout!" He told them. "You all can watch the battle"

The entire class greeted this news with a massive cheer, before rushing out of their seats and heading out to the courtyard.

Ryan then walked out onto the courtyard and noticed the Pokémon battlefield painted into the ground.

As he stood at his side of the field, Cheren stood at the other, whilst the referee (one of the janitors) stood on the side.

"Good luck!" May called to Ryan.

Ryan focused on the battle that was about to ensue.

"Are you ready, Ryan?" Cheren asked.

"Ready!" He replied eagerly.

Ryan and Cheren both produced a pokeball.

"Very well then!" Cheren told him.

" **Go! Patrat!** "

" **Go! Riolu!** "

The two combatants threw their pokeballs into the air.

As the two balls opened, Patrat and Riolu appeared on opposite sides of the battlefield.

"The challenger gets the first move" declared the referee.

" **Riolu! Quick Attack!** "

Riolu did as asked, charging towards the Patrat with lightning speed.

" **Patrat! Use Detect!** "

Just as Riolu was about to land his attack, Patrat dodged out of the way.

As Riolu kept trying to land it's attack, Patrat kept dodging.

However, as Patrat dodged another attack from Riolu, it left itself wide open, allowing Riolu to dive in and land the attack, sending Patrat flying backwards.

" **Quick Patrat! Use Tackle!** "

Patrat began to counterattack, charging towards the Riolu.

In a split second, Ryan came up with an idea.

" **Riolu! Use Counter!** "

As the Patrat hit Riolu, the emanation Pokémon took a significant amount of damage.

This however, was just what Ryan planned for, as Riolu countered the Patrat with double the power of Patrat's attack, sending flying backwards even further.

This time, however, Patrat came crashing to the ground.

As the dust cleared around it, Patrat was out cold.

"Patrat is unable to battle!" Declared the referee. "Riolu wins!"

"Yes! Great job Riolu!" Ryan yelled happily.

Riolu barked happily.

"Good job Patrat" Cheren said as he returned his Patrat to it's ball "You deserve a nice long rest".

"Not bad for a rookie trainer" Cheren told him. "You've got, by far, the best bond with your Pokémon that I've seen for a while. But be aware that this battle is far from over".

He produced one last pokeball.

" **Go! Lillipup!** "

Cheren threw the pokeball high into the air, releasing the Lillipup onto the battlefield.

"Okay Riolu, just do what you do best. **Use Quick Attack!** "

Once again, Riolu launched himself at the Lillipup with lightning speed.

However, the Lillipup proved more than a match for this, easily dodging out of the way.

Riolu did manage to land a few hits on the other Pokémon, but Lillipup still managed to land a powerful Tackle attack, sending Riolu flying backwards and knocking him out cold.

"Riolu is unable to battle! Lillipup wins" Declared the referee.

"You did great Riolu" Ryan told his friend as he returned him to his pokeball. "You deserve a rest".

He then lifted Squirtle off of his shoulder.

"Okay, this battle now hinges on you. I want you to get out there and give it your best shot. Got it?"

"Squirtle!" Squirtle replied.

Ryan then set Squirtle down, allowing him to run onto the battlefield.

" **Lillipup! Use Bite!** "

Lillipup launched itself at the tiny turtle pokemon with it's jaws wide open.

" **Quick! Use Withdraw!** "

Rapidly, Squirtle managed to withdraw into it's shell, preventing Lillipup from causing any significant damage once it bit into the shell.

" **Now use Tackle!** "

With that, Squirtle popped out of it's shell and landed a strong Tackle attack on the Lillipup.

" **Once again! Use Bite!** "

" **Squirtle! Use Tackle!** "

The two pokemon then began charging towards each other.

As they collided, they kicked up a large amount of dust.

As the dust settled they could properly see the outcome of the battle.

Squirtle was tired and weakened but just about conscious.

Lillipup, however, was out cold.

"Lillipup is unable to battle! Squirtle wins which means that the match winner is the challenger: Ryan!"

Then, the entire schoolyard erupted in cheering and applause.

"Yes! Great job buddy!" Ryan yelled happily as he scooped up Squirtle and gave him an almighty hug.

"Squirtle squirt!" Squirtle happily replied.

Cheren withdrew Lillipup into its pokeball and walked over to Ryan.

"Hey. I've got to say, that was what a real pokemon battle is" he said, shaking Ryan's hand. "Great job".

Brendan and May walked over to Ryan, giving him a pat on the back.

"You know, for a rookie, you're actually really good" Brendan remarked happily.

"Well done. You did great out there" added May.

"Now. We must move on. As the gym leader of Aspertia City, it is my duty and pleasure to give you the basic badge" Cheren declared, producing a basic badge and handing it to Ryan.

As Ryan stared at the badge he realised something.

"Oh poo. I just realised I don't have a badge case" Ryan exclaimed.

"Don't worry. I have a spare" Cheren told him as he produced a badge cse from his back pocket and handed it to Ryan.

"Sweet! Thank you Cheren" Ryan said happily, shaking Cheren's hand.

Ryan then began to notice that the entire group of kids had encircled the group with big smiles on their faces.

"I think they'd like to see our Pokémon" Brendan told May as he took out six pokeballs.

The kids nodded vigorously.

"Very well then. **Come on out!** "

Brendan chucked him pokeballs into the air, releasing a Sceptile, a swellow, a breloom, a Mightyena, a Milotic and a Camerupt.

" **Come on out everyone!** "

May then threw her six pokeballs into the air, releasing a Blaziken, a Pelipper, a Tropius, a Ludicolo, a Beautifly and a Manectric.

The students then swarmed the twelve Pokémon, looking over them in awe.

Ryan was also busy scanning each and every one of them.

After a few minutes, Brendan and May then returned their Pokémon to their balls.

"Sorry, but we've got to get going" Brendan told them.

"The thing for you to do now would be to challenge Roxie at the Virbank City gym" Cheren told them.

"Great. thank you Cheren" Ryan said to him before they left.

Before they left for Virbank city, the group stopped off at the Pokémon center to let Riolu and Squirtle heal from their injuries.

However, as they left the Pokémon center, they were greeted by hundreds of camera flashes from the paparazzi, mostly calling out to Brendan.

Ryan and May felt uneasy like this.

Brendan, however, had no problem whatsoever.

"This is the type of attention you get as a league champion" he told them. "To be honest, I love every minute of it".

The trio then pushed their way past the paparazzi and headed away from Aspertia City.

"Well, that seemed easy enough" Ryan said, satisfied with the efforts of him and his Pokémon.

"Maybe, but remember, things only get tougher from here" Brendan said to him. "I know that better than anyone. The best thing to do now is to keep up the momentum. Try to find any problems that you and your Pokemon may have and try to work out a way to get past them".

Ryan listened intently to every word Brendan said to him, eager to learn from the former champion.

"I'll remember that. Thanks" Ryan replied.

"Hey, I'm just happy to help" Brendan replied.

The group then continued down the road.

Next stop: Virbank City.

* * *

"Remind me to never let you book tickets again"

"Hey, don't blame me! You're the one who thought it would be a good idea to just suddenly drop by Ryan's house and give him a surprise."

"How is that the problem here?"

"That's not the problem. The problem is that you didn't think of this earlier in the season and decide to book ahead. It's Summer, Selina! Everyone travels in Summer!"

Bright sunlight shone down on the Undella Town port. Usually bustling with holidaymakers, the port had seen a noticeable drop in use since the refurbishment of the port at Virbank City.

This is where the two young trainers would have booked to travel too if they hadn't decided to go so suddenly, thus meaning that they had to take a third class boat to Undella Town from Olivine City in the Johto Region.

This wouldn't have been so bad if the boat they were on wasn't so packed full of people who had done the same thing: booked without forward planning. The ride had been bouncy, cramped and unpleasant but finally, the S.S Rose had finally arrived at its destination.

As the doors opened, people began pouring out and onto the docks. Among them were the two young trainers.

Jason and Selina.

"Oh my god, finally!"

"It feels so good to finally be standing on hard ground again! I swear, if I have to get on that boat again, I'm going to puke my guts out"

"You know, that's probably going to happen when we head back, right?"

"Unfortunately, you're probably right."

"As is life".

"Now then, I suggest we get to the Pokemon Center before these guys and grab ourselves a bite to eat".

"I like the sound of that".

The two quickly scampered away from the crowded dock and into town, making a beeline straight for the Pokemon Center.

Once in, the two headed straight over to the shop counter, picking up a couple of chocolate bars and tucking into them whilst the nurse went and rested their Pokemon.

"Mmm, god that's good" Jason mumbled, munching on the last of his chocolate as he threw the wrapper into the trash.

"Certainly beats those toxic excuses for "snacks" they had on the ship" Selina chimed in. "I'm pretty sure they weren't even snacks, just the leftovers of several human beings"

Jason would have been listening to Selina launching off into her own miniature rant, but he had just caught sight of a news broadcast on the TV.

He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Oh my god".

"Honestly, I'm surprised that whoever operates that ship hasn't gone out of business, yet. I mean, I've been on choppier seas before, but they've never felt that bad."

"Selina?"

"I would have rather taped myself to the back of a Gyrados and rode it all the way here from Johto then take that ferry if I knew it was going to be that bad"

"Selina"

"And don't even get me freaking started on those bathrooms-"

"SELINA!"

"What?"

Jason pointed at the TV.

"You might want to take a look at this".

Selina turned around to face the TV...and her jaw dropped.

To anyone else in the Center, the trainer on the screen could have easily been just that: a trainer.

But to Jason and Selina, the trainer was one of their oldest friends: Ryan Keyes.

And there he was, walking out of the Aspertia City Pokemon Center, his Squirtle to his left...And the Hoenn League Champion to his right.

Selina couldn't believe what she was seeing. To them, Ryan had always been a little bit of a social oddity, never really knowing people whilst people didn't really know him.

And yet here he was, rubbing shoulders with one of the top Pokemon Trainers worldwide.

The text running across the screen only served to confirm this point.

Selina spent another few moments staring at the screen in shock before gathering her thoughts, clearing her throat and delivering her reaction in one single word...

"WHAT!?"

"I know right!"

"When the heck did this happen!?"

"Isn't it awesome?" Jason replied, laughing happily. "That lucky bastard!"

Whilst Selina could easily admit that she did indeed feel happy for Ryan, there was something off about all this.

"Wait, didn't he say that he wouldn't be allowed to go on his own journey until he was 18?"

"Wha...? Oh, wait, yeah. That's right".

"In case you haven't noticed, Ryan's birthday is still to go by, thus meaning that he's started early".

"Maybe his parents had a change of heart."

"Perhaps, but you remember what they were like, right? No matter how much Ryan wanted to go earlier, they didn't budge"

Jason thought about this for a moment.

"Actually, you're right. He wouldn't have gone unless something really major happened"

"What do you suppose could have happened?"

"I don't know, but I know one way we can find out!"

"Are you proposing that we go out and try to find Ryan?"

"Absolutely. Chances are that he's still going to be on the road to Virbank City, so perhaps we can catch up to him before he reaches Nimbasa City. We can get some answers then".

"You know what, that actually sounds pretty good"

"Alrighty then. Once we get out Pokemon back, we can go look for him"


	4. Loose Cannons

The trio of trainers soon arrived in Virbank city with Ryan eager to battle Roxie and gain his second badge.

Firstly, however, they decided to wander around the city and see if anything was going on.

As they walked past a TV store, however, May noticed something.

"Hey, loot at this" She told the boys.

As they came over and looked, they could see what May was going on about.

On the TVs in the windows, the news was being shown.

Only this time, it the news reporter was talking about them.

Video footage of them walking out of the Aspertia City Pokémon centre appeared on-screen.

"The people of Aspertia City and indeed the Unova Region have come to expect many things in their lives, including the fact that both Aspertia City and Nuvema Town have birthed two Pokémon masters, one of whom is the reigning Unova Champion. One thing that Aspertia City didn't expect, however, was the arrival of Brendan, the Hoenn region champion and Pokémon master in his own right. Not just that, he arrived in Aspertia City with his girlfriend, May, and a rookie trainer by the name of Ryan"

Cheren then appeared on-screen.

"Well, those three walked into the gym with Ryan asking to challenge me. They then walked away with a Basic Badge" He told the interviewer.

"So, this Ryan kid. The students of the school are saying good things about him. Do you see any potential in him?"

"Oh absolutely! I've had many trainers challenge me, but I've seen something between him and his Pokémon that really puts them head and shoulders above the rest".

The image changed.

"It is currently believed that the three trainers are currently heading to Virbank City to challenge Roxie, the local gym leader there. Whilst many things can be said about this new trainer, if Cheren's words are anything to go by, he might just be a force to be reckoned with".

As the news broadcast ended, a huge smile appeared on Ryan's face.

"Wow. You're already making waves, mate" Brendan said, patting Ryan on the head. "The way you're going, you'll become a celebrity in no time."

Just as the word "Celebrity" slipped out of Brendan's mouth, the news came back on the telly.

"Amateur film fans, cameras at the ready!" Declared the news reporter. "Pokestar Studios have announced they are starting a brand new competition to find the best young director. All those who want to enter are required to sign up at pokestar studios to be in with a chance to win a mystery prize".

The three trainers looked at each other.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Ryan asked with a big smile on his face.

Brendan and May both nodded vigorously.

"Well then, let's go!"

The three trainers dashed off in the direction of pokestar studios in the hopes of winning the mystery prize.

* * *

Thankfully, the three trainers managed to find the place to sign up once they arrived at pokestar studios.

They noticed a long line of people queuing up in front of a small stand with a sign on the top.

_All Contest entrants here for entry forms_.

The trio then spent the next hour standing in line and waiting to get the entry form.

Once they finally got the form, they checked over the list of contest rules that came attached to it.

"Let's see here" May muttered as she began to read through the list. "In order to compete in the competition, you must come up with a short movie to give to the judges. The movie must be 15 minutes long at most, but it can be whatever genre you wish. Contestants will also be allowed full access to the pokestar studios props, costumes, makeup, equipment and special effects departments. You must hand in your finished movie to the contest representative by midday Saturday. That's three days from now".

Brendan had been having a small look around as he'd been listening to May reading out the rules.

"May" he said tapping her on the shoulder. "Is that who I think it is?"

As May and Ryan looked in the direction, they instantly recognised the unkempt cyan hair of the person Brendan was talking about.

"BRAWLY!" Brendan called out to him.

The figure with the unkempt hair turned around to reveal that they were indeed the Dewford town gym leader.

He gave a massive grin when he recognised Brendan.

As Brendan motioned for him to come over, the trio discovered that he was with two other people. The first was a male, not much older than Ryan, wearing blue shorts, red jacket and had spiky black hair. The other was a female, roughly the same age as hugh. She was wearing long black tights, a yellow skirt, a white and blue top and a white and pink cap. She also had long brown hair.

Brendan and May went up and embraced Brawly in a massive hug.

"It's great to see you two again!" Exclaimed Brawly as they broke the hug.

"Same here. What might you be doing in the Unova region?" asked May.

"Well, I felt like having a time out from being the Dewford town Gym Leader and decided to visit the Unova region. I heard that there was a film competition on, so I was heading to sign up. It just so happens that Hugh and Rosa were showing me around when they decided to sign up as well" Brawly told them, indicating to the two trainers next to him.

"Glad to meet you" Hugh told them, shaking hands with the two Hoenn trainers, as did Rosa.

Rosa then noticed Ryan standing next to Brendan.

"Who's this?" She asked.

"Oh, this is Ryan. He's a rookie trainer we've been travelling with"

"Pleasure to meet you" Ryan said as he shook the hands of Hugh, Rosa and Brawly. "So anyway, you said you were heading to sign up for the competition, right?"

"Yeah. We've always wanted to try our hand at making movies" Rosa told them.

"Well then, instead of you guys going off to sign up, how about you guys join our group, so all six can make the short movie?" Ryan asked.

"You think so?" Enquired Hugh.

"I think it'll be a good thing" May told them. "With the six of us, we could make this thing much better than anything three of us could make".

The three other trainers thought about this for a minute.

"Very well then, we'll do it" Hugh told them.

The group of six soon found themselves sitting in the mess hall, deciding the premise of their film over lunch, with Ryan taking down the notes.

"Okay. Firstly, the genre of the film. What should it be?" He asked.

"Martial arts" Brawly said.

"Action" Countered Brendan

"Sci-Fi" Countered Hugh.

"Okay then, how about it's a Sci-Fi action movie with some Martial Arts elements added to it?"

The group nodded in agreement.

"Okay, what should be the main premise of the movie?"

"Giant robots"

"Aliens"

"Saving the Damsel in distress"

Ryan pondered for a moment.

"Okay. I have an idea for the main plot". He told the group.

They all leaned in, listening eagerly.

"The movie begins with aliens attacking the Unova Region in giant robots. The Unova Defense Force try to counter the aliens, but to no avail. So, as a last resort, the UDF commander calls in two former members of the UDF who were disavowed for being loose cannons. However, just as they're about to lay waste to the aliens, they discover that the aliens have captured the daughter of the president and threaten to exterminate her if they don't surrender. From there, the loose cannons have to sort out the aliens, whilst trying to rescue the damsel in distress. How about that."

The other five thought about this for a minute.

"That sounds like the most awesome thing ever" Hugh told them.

The other four nodded their heads in agreement.

"Alrighty then, lets get this done!" Declared Ryan.

The six then finished off their lunch and ran off to begin filming their piece.

* * *

_What had originally started as a good week for the people of the Unova region had now become a fight for survival._

_Whilst the week had indeed been peaceful for most of it, the attacks had caught them off guard._

_Now, the UDF and their allies were the only thing that stood between the people of the world and total enslavement at the hands of the Zugonian space empire._

_Now, Commander Brawly, leader of the UDF, was sat at his desk, wondering as to how they would possibly be able to counter the Zugonians._

_However, there was one major flaw to everything he thought of._

_When the Zugonians launched their crusade on Humilau City, they'd arrived in 300ft tall fighting robots._

_Now matter what the forces of the world threw at the robots, they glanced off the robot like they were just sticks and stones._

_All the UDF and their allies could do was slow the advance of the robots._

_Behemoths, they called them._

_In Brawly's eyes, there was nothing they could do to win the war._

_Just then, however, the phone on his desk rang._

_The commander answered it._

_"Hello?...Yes sir, this is Brawly speaking...Yes, I know that this situation is looking bad!...No sir, there nothing much else we can do by the looks of things...What do you mean "we need them back"? You don't mean...I'm sorry sir, but I swore that I'd never let those two re-join the UDf if they were the last soldiers on the planet... Yes, I know they're incredibly skilled and get the job done well...Sir, the fact that they're loose cannons was the reason they were disavowed to begin with!"_

_Brawly sighed as he opened one of his desk drawers, took out a personnel file and placed it on his desk._

_"Very well then, sir. I'll bring them in...Goodbye sir"._

_As Brawly hang the phone, he dreaded having to do this._

_He opened the personnel file and looked at the personnel's pictures._

_Whilst Brawly knew that these two had a habit of ignoring command and doing their own thing, he had to admit, when it came to getting the job done, they were in a league of their own._

_The two in question were Sergeants Brendan and May. The two of them had originally joined the UDF a few years before the war began and had rapidly risen through the ranks for getting their missions done quicker and more efficiently then anyone else in the force._

_However, they had a knack of regularly ignoring orders from their commanding officers and completing their missions in their own way. They did this once too often and ending up paying for this with their jobs._

_This, however, didn't stop them from selling their stories as books and making a ton of cash from that._

_With the cash they had acquired, they'd been able to retire to a large house outside of Dewford town._

_As Brawly prepared to give the call, Brendan and May were relaxing on their balcony in their pyjamas, eating their breakfast and looking out over the horizon._

_Below them, on the porch, their beloved Pokémon, Brendan's Sceptile and May's Blaziken were sparring with each other._

_Just then, however, May's Pokegear started ringing._

_Her face was like thunder when she recognised then number of the person who was calling her._

_She and Brendan still considered Brawly the one who cost them their jobs._

_"B, I thought I told you to never call me on this device again" She snapped as she answered._

_"Nice to here you too, M" Brawly replied sarcastically._

_She sighed._

_"Look. If you're calling just to get Brendan and I to run an errand for you and the UDF, I'd advise you hang up right about now"._

_"No need" Brawly replied. "This request comes straight from high command"._

_This caught the duo's attention._

_"High Command? I thought they were done with us, us being so...reckless and all" Brendan said._

_"Let's just say that your impressive track record has led them to give the order for you two to come back. So are you two up for a little bit of freelancing?"_

_"What's in it for us?"_

_"Better facilities, better resources and a large pile of cash. Still got your colours?"_

_"Yeah I... think we've got them somewhere."_

_"So, when can I expect you to be in the Unova Region?"_

_"We'll be there before you know it" Brendan finished before May hung up._

* * *

_Not too long after making the call, Brawly found himself wandering around his almost empty barracks._

_Most of his soldiers were elsewhere in the region, trying to halt the advance of the Zugonians._

_The rest of his men were prepping to leave._

_He walked out onto the main landing strip, lost in deep thought._

_Just then, however, he noticed a small black speck in the sky._

_This then became two black shapes._

_As they got closer, Brawly realised that they weren't a new form of Zugonian fighting vehicle, but Brendan and May, flying in on a Swellow and a Tropius._

_They were wearing the uniform of the UDF. The main difference, however, was the fact that these uniforms were all black instead of red and silver._

_"Well, that was quick" Brawly told them as they landed next to him._

_"Let's just cut the crap and get this thing over and done with" May replied as she hopped off her Tropius._

_"Very well then" Brawly replied, pulling a small holographic projector out of his pocket and turning it on, showing the image of the Zugonian's behemoths attacking Humilau City._

_"As you know, the Zugonian army has launched an all out attack on the Unova region. We've tried to hold them off, but their behemoth robots have proved more than a match for our defences. In fact, they've managed to push us back to Opelucid city and they're currently marching in that direction"._

_"So where do we come in?" Asked Brendan, hopping off his Swellow._

_The image on the screen changed to show the leader of the Zugonian army. It had almost exactly the same shape as a human. The main differences were the four large, luminous, disk like eyes on it's head, the various strange spikes coming out of it's head and it's blue skin that looked like putty._

_"Well, the original plan of action was to assassinate the Zugonian army leader, Zyphodia Hughonis"._

_The image changed to show a girl, bound and gagged, hanging upside down from something._

_"The only problem was, however, was that Zyphodia had taken Rosa, the president of the Unova region, hostage. Zyphodia also threatened to have the girl killed if he and his personal guard happen to be attacked. That's where you two and your Pokémon come in. Your job is to infiltrate Zyphodia's personal behemoth, neutralise him and rescue the girl. Do what you want with Zyphodia, but not a scratch on Rosa. Got it?"_

_"Yeah, yeah" May replied, climbing back onto her Tropius as Brendan climber back onto his Swellow. "So, where might they be?"_

_"The Main Behemoth strike force is heading for Opelucid City, but Zyphodia and his personal guard are heading for Castelia City"._

_Without another word, Brendan and May took off and flew in the direction of Castelia City._

_"Well. Some things never change" he said to himself._

* * *

_When the two arrived there, they found the Behemoth group marching into Castelia City unchallenged_

_"Hey. Is it me or do those Behemoths look a bit like Genesect?" Asked Brendan._

_"Yes. Yes they do" Replied May. "So which one is the girl in?"_

_"Well, seeing as one of them is black whilst the others are red, I'm going to guess that one". Brendan guessed._

_The two decided the best way to attack was to take them by surprise._

_They decided to go about this by flying directly above the lead Behemoth and silently dropping down onto it._

_As they stepped off their pokemon, May reached into her pocket, pulled out a pokeball and released her Blaziken from it._

_"_ _**Blaziken! Use Flamethrower!** _ _"_

_Blaziken then unleashed a long trail of flame from it's mouth, melting away part of both the top and side of the Behemoth's head._

_Brendan and May returned Swellow and Tropius to their pokeballs before they and Blaziken jumped inside._

_Inside, they discovered a lone chair, sitting in front of a control panel with a screen that was illuminating the room with a dark blue light._

_They noticed a rubbery blue hand gripping the arms of the seat._

_Zyphodia Hughonis stepped out of the seat and turned to face the three._

_"Ah, who is this? Another group of humans to subdue?" He asked, with a strange mutant husk in his voice._

_"Where is the girl?" Asked May._

_This was greeted by a loud scream of "I'M DOWN HERE!" Coming from somewhere down a nearby ladder._

_"I'll deal with this guy. You go for Rosa." May whispered to Brendan._

_May then cracked her knuckles._

_"I'm really going to enjoy this" May rasped._

_"Well, if that's the way you want to sort this, so be it." Zyphodia replied._

_May and Blaziken then charged the Zugonian leader, launching an array of martial arts attacks against it._

_Now, if it had just been May fighting Zyphodia, May would've been destroyed by Zyphodia._

_But the simple fact that Blaziken was there really caused a problem for the commander._

_As the three fought on, Brendan slipped down the ladder._

_He arrived in a small, dark chamber within the Behemoth's torso._

_Next to him, Rosa was chained to the ceiling, upside down._

_"Oh thank god you're here. They took me onboard and chained me up and thought I was never going..." She began._

_"Save it for later" Brendan interrupted as he began pulling at the chains. "Right now, I'm getting you out of here"._

_After spending a few minutes struggling with the chains, he decided to release Sceptile from its ball._

_"_ _**Sceptile! Use Leaf Blade!** _ _"_

_As Sceptile landed a powerful leaf Blade attack on the chains, they shattered into many small pieces._

_Brendan then picked up Rosa and put her over his shoulder._

_"Okay, now we need to make a way out of here._ _**Use Leaf Storm!** _ _"_

_Sceptile then released an even more powerful leaf storm attack on the side of the chamber, creating a big hole in the wall._

_Brendan then released Swellow from his ball._

_He then jumped onto Swellow's back, still carrying a screaming Rosa, followed by Sceptile._

_"Please stop screaming, you're damaging my eardrums" Brendan moaned, exasperatedly._

_This caught the attention of Zyphodia, May and Blaziken, who were still battling in the head of the Behemoth._

_"What?! NO!" Roared Zyphodia as he stared up at the Swellow._

_This proved a good enough distraction for the Zugonian commander._

_"_ _**Blaziken! Hi Jump Kick!** _ _"_

_As Zyphodia turned round, he received an almighty kick to the jaw from Blaziken._

_This was enough to send him through the burnt hole and plummeting to his death, screaming all the way._

_May then rushed over to the controls._

_They were tricky to figure out, but May was soon able to control the cannon on the Behemoth's head._

_As the cannon swung round, it unleashed a burst of energy at one of the nearby Behemoths, causing to explode in a giant fireball._

_This was the fate that also befell five others._

_However, as May came to the final one, she knew she wouldn't have enough time to take it out._

_As it energized it's cannons, May and Blaziken made a dash for the hole, leaping out just as it fired, narrowly avoiding being cooked alive._

_As they fell, May released Tropius from it's ball._

_She and Blaziken then grabbed onto Tropius's back as it flew away._

_They then met up with Brendan as they flew away._

_"Great job back there" Brendan told May and Blaziken, giving them a high five. "So now what?"_

_"Now we take down that last behemoth before we head for Opelucid City"._

_"Sounds good to me" Brendan replied._

_As Swellow and Tropius flew alongside each other, Brendan and Sceptile leaped across, catching hold of Tropius._

_"Swellow, you take Rosa back to base. Head to Opelucid City once you're done"._

_Swellow obliged, flying off into the distance as Rosa hung on for dear life._

_Tropius then swung round to take on the final behemoth._

_Despite it's best attempts to shoot it out of the skies, Tropius easily dodged out of the way of its energy blasts._

_As Tropius flew overhead, Sceptile and Blaziken both leaped down, landing on the head of the behemoth before continuously striking it, trying to break through._

_Eventually, this proved successful, with the two Pokémon dropping through a small hole they created into the cockpit of the behemoth._

_The piloting Zugonian immediately tried to take them down, but the alien was easily overpowered by the two Pokémon._

_With that, the two began launching furious attack after furious attack to the innards of the behemoth, easily causing lots of damage._

_As the cockpit began to blaze, warning lights began to flash._

_The two Pokémon decided to take this moment to evacuate, leaping out before the whole thing exploded in a ball of fire._

_"Good job you two!_ _**Return!** _ _" Brendan said as he and may withdrew the two._

_As the last behemoth went crashing to the ground, Tropius then began flying away._

_"Alright then. Opelucid City, defeat the army, win the war, get paid, go home. How about that?" May asked._

_"I couldn't put it better myself" Brendan replied._

_As the duo flew off into the distance, the film cut to black and the credits began to roll._

* * *

For a short moment in the movie theatre, there was silence.

This was then stopped by wild clapping and cheering from the audience.

In the middle of the movie theatre, Ryan, Brendan, May, Brawly, Hugh and Rosa were sitting in the seats, giving each other handshakes and high fives all round, with Squirtle still sitting on one of Ryan's shoulders.

How the film had turned out filled him with confidence. At first glance, it looked as if he and his crew would be a surefire bet to win the contest.

However, a quick rundown of the films that had come before made him feel uncertain all over again.

The screening list looked like this:

_1) TEAM NAME: THE CASTELIA CONQUERORS  
FILM TITLE: THROUGH THICK AND THIN  
_ _GENRE: ROMANTIC COMEDY_

_2) TEAM NAME: X-POWER_  
FILM TITLE: TERMINAL PUNISHMENT  
GENRE: ACTION

_3) TEAM NAME: THE WILD PINSIRS_  
FILM TITLE: THE CABINET  
GENRE: POLITICAL THRILLER

_4) TEAM NAME: VELOCITY_  
FILM TITLE: NIGHTSHIFT  
GENRE: HORROR

_5) TEAM NAME: THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB_  
FILM TITLE: STONE OF WAY  
GENRE: ROMANTIC DRAMA

_6) TEAM NAME: THE VIRBANK OCCULT SOCIETY_  
FILM TITLE: BEAST OF DARKMOOR  
GENRE: FANTASY/HORROR

_7) TEAM NAME: AQUARIS_  
FILM TITLE: PROJECT Z  
GENRE: PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER

_8) TEAM NAME: THE SPECTACULAR SIX (Ryan's team)  
FILM TITLE: LOOSE CANNONS  
GENRE: ACTION/SCI-FI_

Generally, reactions for the eight films had ranged from "this is awesome" to "don't quit your day job". Some looked like something an actual movie studio would produce, whilst others clearly seemed like something an amateur filmmaker would make, be it do to either wonky camerawork, wooden acting, or a dud script.

So far, "Project Z" seemed like the favourite to win the competition. Whilst watching it, the audience had actually felt on edge and cared for the fate of the main characters. It was the most emotionally invested they got for any of the films.

Mind you, whilst "Project Z" had been getting very good reactions, so had "The Cabinet" and "Loose Cannons", so perhaps it wasn't as clear cut as it had originally seemed.

In the audience, Ryan and his fellow crew-members congratulated themselves on a job well done.

Mind you, not everything had been perfect about their final piece. For a start, they had been having issues with their green-screen during the production phase and whilst they had been able to iron out most of the issues, they still didn't think that it looked quite right. Also, they had to be brutally honest and admit that whilst Brendan's performance wasn't bad, it could have been better (Brendan wasn't offended by this. Even he admitted it).

As the applause died down, one of the contest representatives appeared in front of the audience.

"Now, before we announce the winner of the contest, we'd first like to say thank you to all those who participated. You've all made some great movies" They declared. "Anyway, onto the prizes. The group who the judges think have made the best short film will receive the following: A $60,000 cash prize, tickets to the premiere of the final "Brycen Man" Movie, multiple signed boxsets of the "Timegate Traveler" and "Red Fog of Terror" trilogies, a set of six evolutionary stones...and this Pokémon egg!"

The contest representative stepped aside to reveal small table. On it, within a glass case, sat a white egg with light blue and white patches on it.

This was greeted with many people in the audience going "ooooooh".

"The winning team will also have their short movie shown during the build up to a select group of upcoming blockbuster films".

Another contest representative handed the first one a golden envelope.

"As I said, everyone tried their hearts out. But there can only be one winner".

The audience tensed with excitement.

"And the winner is..."

The representative opened the envelope.

"As I said, everyone tried their hearts out. But there can only be one winner".

The audience tensed with excitement.

"And the winner is..."

The representative opened the envelope.

There was a pause that seemed to go on forever, until finally...

"PROJECT Z!"

With that, the entire theatre erupted into cheering, as Aquaris leaped out of their seats, ecstatically congratulating themselves for a well-deserved victory.

As the group of seven walked down to the front to collect their prizes, The Spectacular Six, whilst disappointed that they didn't win, were gracious in defeat.

However, as the seven reached the front, shaking hands with the contest representatives, Brendan's expression changed to one of curiosity as he noticed one of the members of the seven: a girl with long red hair and matching red eyes.

"Is that...no. It can't be...can it?" He muttered to himself.

He leaned across to May and whispered to her.

"Don't mind me saying, but does the girl with the red hair seem kind of familiar to you?"

May took a look at the girl.

However, before she could say anything, the lights cut out.

As pandemonium began to erupt in the darkness, the group heard the sounds of someone running into the theatre, picking up something and running away again.

As the lights came back on, everyone looked in the direction of the front of the theatre to see what had happened.

The Pokémon egg had been stolen and the group of seven were missing.

Almost immediately, pandemonium began to break out as everyone assumed the worst.

However, as it continued to grow, Brawly noticed the doors to one of the emergency exits were opened slightly.

"They went this way!" He declared, leaping out of his seat and bolting for the door. "Follow me!"

The rest of the group also leaped out of their seats in pursuit of the thieves.

They trailed the group through studio lot after studio lot, relentlessly chasing after them.

However, as they did so, they couldn't help but notice pieces of the group's clothing lying on the ground, leaving a trail for them to follow.

Finally, they were out in the open again, with the group alarmingly close to the exit. However, to the misfortune of the seven, they found their pathway blocked by security guards.

As they turned round to run back the other way, the six trainers caught up with them, leaving the thieves surrounded.

The trainers could now fully see what they was wearing.

The group of seven had stripped out of their regular clothes and were each wearing a black and white striped shirt and light blue trousers, complete with black gloves and a matching blue bandana with a stylized "A" on it.

Brendan's face was like thunder. He recognized that attire all too well.

The girl with the red hair smirked.

"Well, well, well" She declared. "Brendan. May. Fancy meeting you two here. Small world, huh?"

"Cut the crap, Shelley" Brendan snapped. "Now, before this thing gets any more nasty, enlighten us as to what Team Aqua would want with a single Pokemon egg?"

"Oh, I'm afraid we can't answer that" The Aqua admin replied. "If you really want to know, you'll have to take it up with my superiors".

The Hoenn Champion scoffed.

"Please. If I can beat Archie once, then he can easily be beaten again".

"It's not just him you'll have to deal with" the admin replied.

As if on cue, the black shape that had appeared in the sky, appeared directly overhead.

As it began to descend, they noticed that it was shaped like a medieval sailboat.

The main differences in this case where the strange dark blue fins on the sides and, obviously, that the ship was hovering in the air.

However, they instantly recognised the stylized "P" on the main sail.

Now, it was Hugh's turn to have a face like thunder.

The Plasma Frigate had arrived.

Then, ladders dropped down from the ship and dozens of Team Plasma and Team Aqua grunts dropped down from them, encircling the group.

"Well...That's new" Commented May.

"Now, I strongly suggest you surrender already" The grunt with the egg told them.

"Hey, head's up. I'm about to unleash my rage". Hugh told the others.

"HEY!" Came a shout from behind them.

As they looked round, they saw all the other trainers had caught up with the group.

"Let's do this!" Yelled Brendan as he went for one of his pokeballs.

" **GO! SCEPTILE!** "

The others then went for their pokeballs.

" **GO! BLAZIKEN!** "

" **GO! SERPERIOR!** "

**"GO! SAMUROTT!** "

**"GO! HARIYAMA!** "

" **GO! RIOLU!** "

As the other trainers went for their pokeballs, so did the grunts.

Pokestar Studios soon descended into utter chaos, with an army of Pokémon trainers battling against the combined might of Team Plasma and Team Aqua.

Amidst the chaos, Ryan noticed the grunt with the egg run away from the action and dive down a dark alleyway.

Ryan then dashed after him, tailed by his two Pokémon.

Thankfully for them, the alleyway happened to lead to a dead end.

As the thief span round to face Ryan, he pulled out a pokeball and threw it in the air, releasing a Poochyena.

In response to this, Squirtle leaped off of Ryan's shoulder and released a jet of water from its mouth, showing that it now knew Water Gun.

As Squirtle battled with Poochyena, Riolu launched a powerful Feint attack on the Team Aqua Grunt, causing the egg to go flying.

Ryan's body reacted before his brain did as he leaped forwards and just about managed to catch the egg.

Then, suddenly, the egg began to glow brightly.

It was hatching.

As Ryan held the hatching egg tightly, Squirtle and Riolu continued to hold off the Team Aqua Grunt.

As the egg finished hatching, the shell completely disappeared.

Ryan stared down at the Pokémon that was now in its place.

A Pachirisu was lying asleep in his arms.

However, as Ryan looked down at the Pokemon in his arms, he noticed something off about it. For a start, he knew what a Pachirisu looked like: white-ish fur, yellow cheeks and a blue stripe running down from its head to its tail. This Pachirisu, on the other hand, had cheeks that were a bright shade of red. In addition, the stripe wasn't a shade of blue, but a shade of black instead.

"Chi Pa?" It murmured as it began to stir.

Just then, Squirtle launched one final Water Gun at the Poochyena, knocking it out cold.

The Team Aqua Grunt then received another Feint attack to the guts from Riolu, causing him to pass out as well.

Just then, Brawly arrived in the alleyway.

"I just saw a bright light coming from here" he told Ryan. "Is everything alright?"

"It's more than alright" Ryan replied, as he got up and turned round to show the Pachirisu in his arms, now fully awake.

"Chi Pa!" The Pachirisu said happily.

Suddenly, the Pachirisu leaped out of Ryan's arms and dashed off towards the main battle.

Obviously worried for the Pokémon's safety, Ryan and Brawly tailed after it.

They arrived at the scene of the battle just in time to see the Pachirisu launch a powerful Quick Attack into the face of a Scraggy, knocking it out instantly.

Ryan and Brawly were amazed. A newly hatched Pachirisu had just knocked out a Scraggy as if it was a seasoned battler.

As the fight wore on, things gradually began to swing in the favour of the trainers, with the grunts starting to become heavily outnumbered.

However, whilst this was indeed the case, he grunts certainly weren't stupid, as they knew when they were in over their heads.

They therefore opted to change tactics.

"RETREAT!" Bellowed several voices from within the crowd of grunts.

Not wanting to hang around and wait for the police to show up, the grunts began falling back to the base of the ladders before climbing them up to the deck of the frigate.

"Oh no you don't!" Yelled out May, noticing the grunts escaping. " **BLAZIKEN! FLAMETHROWER!** "

The Blaze Pokemon then launched a long stream of fire at the ladders, burning through the ropes and breaking them off, causing any grunts currently climbing up to fall into a big pile on the ground.

However, before any of the trainers could fly up onto the deck of the frigate, it fired up its engines and took on, rapidly disappearing into the distance.

"NO!" Yelled out Hugh as he watched it fade away.

Seething angrily, he turned around and walked over to the pile of Aqua and Plasma grunts, looking to get some answers. Recognizing Shelly in the pile, he reached down, grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and dragged her to her feet.

"You'd better give me some freaking answers!" He demanded. "Why are you working with Team Plasma?"

However, instead of giving Hugh the answers he was looking for, Shelly simply laughed.

"Do you really think that we'd give up our secrets to a trainer like you? Get real. The only way for you to find out what we're planning is to wait and see. Only when our grand scheme is enacted will you realize and even then, you won't be able to do anything about it".

"You really think that this time you're going to succeed with your plan?" Brendan asked as he walked over to the two.

"Oh, I don't think that we're going to succeed. I _know_ we're going to succeed."

Brendan smirked.

"I'd like to see you try".

* * *

By the time the police showed up, most of the carnage following the battle had been cleared up, with the remaining grunts being held by the trainers.

As the grunts were swiftly taken into custody, the contest representatives came around and thanked each and every one of the trainers for their effort in stopping the criminals from making off with the contest prizes.

Finally, the last representative, a man in what could be assumed to be his early fifties, arrived at Ryan and his friends.

"I suppose it's you six we have to thank the most" He said to the team. "You six reacted first and without you, we might have lost the egg. Thank you".

"That's alright man" Ryan said to him. "Although, I do have a couple of questions to ask".

He pointed to the Pachirisu on his shoulder.

"First of all, why does this Pachirisu have oddly-colored fur? Secondly, what would both Team Aqua and Team Plasma want with it?"

The representative sighed.

"I guess you deserve an answer" he replied. "Despite the amount of time that humanity and Pokemon have co-existed with one another, there are still many things that we fail to understand about them. For example, why are some Pokemon incapable of breeding with other Pokemon? A few years ago, a science team came together in the Kanto Region in order to solve questions just like this."

"Did they eventually discover the answers they were looking for?"

"One of them, yes. Just a few months ago, the scientists discovered an unidentified portion of the genome of a species of Pokemon."

"Did the genome belong to a Pachirisu, by any chance?"

"Highest marks. Upon further investigation, the team discovered that this is what prevented the Pachirisu from breeding with Pokemon outside of its egg groups. They also went and discovered a matching set of DNA in several other species of Pokemon".

"Let me guess..." Brendan interjected. "After finding a way to alter this portion of the genome, the team of scientists began to cross-breed Pokemon from different egg groups."

"Correct. Although the process was indeed very costly, they were able to find a way to alter the portion of genome and thus, allow Pokemon to cross-breed. As the Pachirisu family were the first group we discovered this gene with, they were the first to feature in the cross-breeding program. Despite quite a few early reservations, the program was a success, with several living subjects being produced, carrying significant differences to the parent Pokemon they bore the most resemblance to. For example, your Pachirisu came about as a result of cross-breeding between a Pachirisu and a member of the Electivire family."

"So, asides from the appearance, what's different about it?"

"Well, if previous research is to be believed, the base stat total of a regular Pachirisu is roughly 405. When this egg was first created, the team predicted a base stat total of something between 440 and 500. In addition, this could potentially allow the Pokemon the ability to learn more moves, some of them it may not be able to learn naturally.

The six were in silence. They simply had no idea how to respond to this.

"I guess the reason why Team Aqua and Team Plasma wanted to get their hands on it, asides from the obvious power boost, is that this is the first of its kind to be allowed outside of its lab, thus making it easier to get a hold of".

"But if that's the case, then why didn't they just go and find the lab?"

"Because it is in a top secret location. One that I can't say without risking a massive lawsuit for breaking my Non-Disclosure Agreement. Anyway, since the winning group has been taken into custody, I guess that makes you guys winners by Disqualification".

This caught their attention.

"Wait, what? Really? Alright then, sweet! Thanks".

A few moments later, several other tournament representatives came out, carrying the other prizes with them.

The group of six took a moment to share the prizes among themselves, evenly splitting the money into $10,000 bundles. Then, after distributing the other prizes, they each took one of the six evolutionary stones. Hugh claimed a Water Stone, Rosa claimed a Moon Stone, Brendan and May both claimed the Leaf and Thunder Stones and Brawly claimed the Dawn Stone, leaving Ryan with the Fire Stone.

All that was left was to figure out just what to do with Pachirisu.

"You know, I think it would be best if you took care of that Pachirisu, Ryan" Brendan told him. "A young trainer like you could use another strong Pokémon. Besides, it looks like Pachirisu has already taken a liking to you".

"Chi Pa!" Pachirisu said in agreement, hugging the side of Ryan's head.

"Well, Rosa and I had best be going" Hugh told the others. "We're on the way back to Aspertia City".

"I'd better be heading back to Dewford Town" Brawly Added.

The six trainers said their goodbyes to each other before Hugh, Rosa and Brawly headed off in their separate directions. Hugh and Rosa to Aspertia City and Brawly to catch his ferry back to Dewford Town.

"Well then Pachirisu, welcome to the team" Ryan told his new Pokemon, stroking the top of it's head.

Ryan then pulled his pokedex out of his jacket pocket and scanned Pachirisu.

_Pachirisu_

_The Elesquirrel pokemon_

_A pair may be seen rubbing their cheek pouches together in an effort to share stored electricity._

_Level 7_

_Known Moves:_

_Growl_

_Bide_

_Quick Attack_

_Special Ability: Motor Drive_

Ryan put the pokedex away, pulled a pokeball out of his bag and activated it.

In went Pachirisu.

_Vwoop_

_Vwoop_

_Vwoop_

_Click!_

"Well then, I think we know where to go now" Ryan told Brendan and May, pocketing the pokeball.

"Roxie?" They asked

"Roxie". He replied.

As Squirtle clambered back onto Ryan's shoulder, he withdrew Riolu into its ball and the three trainers headed out of Pokestar Studios, looking for Ryan's next big challenge: The Virbank City Gym.


	5. Poison Days

Thankfully for the trio of trainers, it was surprisingly easy to find the Virbank City Gym.

After a short while of aimlessly wandering around, they'd finally been directed there by a passer by.

The passer by had directed them to a dingy looking door with the Unova Pokémon gym symbol on the front.

As they opened the door, they found a set of dimly lit, even more dingy stairs.

As they descended the steps, they faintly heard the sound of rock music coming out from behind the door at the bottom of the stairs.

Then, as they opened the door at they were almost blown off their feet by the loud music.

Then soon found themselves in an underground music club, filled with loud rock music.

The room was completely deserted, apart from the three trainers, an old man sitting in the corner and a band practising onstage.

Playing on bass was none other than the white haired gym leader herself, Roxie.

The trio soon found themselves playing wild air guitar solos, syncing in with the music.

"I'VE NEVER HEARD ANYTHING MORE AWESOME IN MY LIFE!" Ryan yelled, trying to be heard over the music.

"IF SHE BATTLES AS WELL AS SHE CAN PLAY GUITAR, YOU'RE IN FOR A REAL FIGHT!" Added May.

"WELL, THAT IS IF SHE NOTICES US!" Brendan interjected.

"HEY! ROXIE! I'M HERE TO BATTLE YOU!" Ryan yelled to the gym leader.

"SQUIRTLE!" Yelled Squirtle.

Roxie was too wrapped up in her band practice to notice the three trainers.

"HOW DO WE GET HER TO BATTLE US?" Ryan yelled to the old man.

"SIMPLE! YOU JUST NEED TO BE LOUDER THAN HER!" He replied, tossing Ryan an electric guitar, already plugged in toit's own massive amp, all dials cranked up to eleven.

The man also took the liberty of tossing a guitar pick to Ryan.

"Might as well" Ryan thought to himself.

Immediately, Ryan went for the highest note possible on the guitar, releasing a loud, ear-splitting screeching noise.

The three trainers and the old man all flinched in pain.

This was also enough to stop the band onstage from playing as they all clutched their ears.

"ALL RIGHT!" Screamed Roxie. "WHOEVER THOUGHT IT WAS FUNNY TO DISRUPT MY BAND WILL BE CLOBBERED UNTIL..."

She stopped when she recognised Brendan.

"Well well" Roxie said, grinning. "Guys, it appears the Hoenn champion has decided to grace us with his presence".

"Hey, perhaps he's here to battle you" the drummer added.

"Very well then" Roxie muttered.

She then leaped off the stage a bit too eagerly and pointed at Brendan.

"BRENDAN! I ACCEPT YOUR CHALLENGE!" She yelled.

"There's only one problem with that" he replied.

"And that is?"

"I'm not actually the one who's here to battle you".

Roxie and her band members all had dumbfounded looks on their faces.

"Ryan's the one who's here to challenge you" Brendan explained, pointing to Ryan.

Roxie looked at the young trainer.

Then, she looked him up and down before looking at the happy Squirtle on his shoulder.

"All right then, Ryan. I accept your challenge" She declared.

As they each got into position at opposite ends of the room, Ryan threw the guitar and the pick to the old man, who'd got out of his chair.

He placed the guitar in the corner and stood at the side of the room, acting as the referee for the match.

Roxie then produced a pokeball.

" **Go! Koffing!** "

Ryan thought hard about which Pokémon to send out first.

After deciding, he then produced a pokeball of his own.

" **Go! Pachirisu!** "

"The challenger gets the first move" declared the old man.

" **Pachirisu! Use Quick Attack!** "

Pachirisu began speeding towards the Koffing.

" **Koffing! Clear Smog!** "

Roxie's Koffing then released a massive cloud of white smoke from it's pores, enveloping the Pachirisu and dealing some damage.

This, however, didn't stop Pachirisu from charging out the other side of the smog and striking the Koffing hard.

" **Quick! Koffing! Counter Attack with Smog!** "

Koffing unleashed clouds of black smoke from its pores, enveloping Pachirisu once again.

This time, however, Pachirisu was unable to continue attacking, as the smog was so thick and poisonous.

When it eventually cleared, Pachirisu had been dealt significant damage.

Pachirisu had appeared to have turned slightly purple and had a slightly exasperated look on its face.

It had been poisoned.

"Oh no. Hang in there Pachirisu!" Ryan called to his Pokémon.

" **Okay Koffing! Let's finish this off with Assurance!** "

" **It's now or never, Pachirisu. Use Quick Attack once more!"**

The two Pokémon began rapidly advancing towards each other.

Just then, however, Pachirisu's cheeks began to furiously spark electricity.

As it charged towards the Koffing, it's body was suddenly surrounded by electricity.

"That's an odd looking Quick Attack." Roxie said, confused.

Ryan realised what was happening.

"That's no Quick Attack. THAT'S VOLT TACKLE!"

Before Roxie could react, Pachirisu launched its charged attack at the Koffing, directly hitting it and dealing a massive amount of damage before sending it flying into the wall.

It then fell down, unconscious.

"Koffing is unable to battle" the old man declared. "Pachirisu wins!"

"Yes! Great job Pachirisu!" Yelled Ryan.

"Chi Pa!" Came the happy reply from Pachirisu.

Just then, Pachirisu flinched from the Volt Tackle recoil damage and the effects of poisoning.

However, it still managed to hang on.

Roxie then pulled out one last pokeball.

" **Go! Whirlipede!** "

As the Curlipede Pokémon appeared on the battlefield, Ryan took a quick moment to decide his next move.

However, Roxie was one step ahead of him.

" **Use Poison Sting!** "

Ryan managed to quickly react to this.

" **Dodge it, then use Quick Attack!** "

As the Whirlipede began launching dozens of tiny poisonous darts at Pachirisu, it responded by quickly rolling out of the way and charging at the Whirlipede.

" **Whirlipede! Use Venoshock!** "

Ryan hadn't anticipated this.

Pachirisu managed to deal a significant amount of damage to the other Pokémon, but this failed to stop it unleashing a powerful Venoshock attack.

This, plus the fact that Pachirisu had been poisoned were more than enough to cause it to faint.

"Pachirisu is unable to battle! Whirlipede wins!" Declared the old man.

Ryan returned Pachirisu to it's ball.

"Great Job Pachirisu. You deserve a nice long rest". He said.

"Great job Whirlipede!" Roxie said to her Pokémon before playing a small guitar solo.

Ryan then looked up at Squirtle.

"Go for it, buddy!" He said.

"Squirtle Squirt!" His best friend replied as he leapt off Ryan's shoulder and landed on the battlefield.

" **Okay Squirtle, use Water Gun!** "

" **Counter with Venoshock!** "

As Squirtle unleashed a powerful jet of water from its mouth, Whirlipede unleashed a stream of poisonous liquid from itspores, meaning that they effectively cancelled each other out.

" **Whirlipede! Use Protect!** "

As the Venoshock attack stopped, Whirlipede put up an invisible defensive barrier, effectively causing the Water gun attack to glance off it.

" **Now use Poison Sting!** "

As the water gun attack finished, Whirlipede unleashed another round of poison darts, causing Squirtle significant damage.

" **Now use Pursuit!** "

Whirlipede began to roll towards the Squirtle, gradually picking up speed.

" **Dodge it, then use Water Gun!** "

Squirtle immediately dodged out of the way and unleashed a jet of water at the Whirlipede, but Whirlipede just turned around to rammed straight into the Squirtle, causing it to fly backwards before crashing to the ground.

Whilst Squirtle's water gun had managed to cause damage to the Whirlipede, the opponent Pokémon's Pursuit attack had nearly knocked Squirtle out cold.

"Come on, buddy! We can still do this!" Ryan called to his teammate.

"Squirtle Squirt!" Squirtle replied.

Just then, however, Squirtle began to glow brightly.

Ryan, Brendan, May, Roxie, the other band members, the old man and the Whirlipede watched as the glowing Squirtle began to change.

Squirtle grew bigger, its tail began to change shape and strange fins appeared on the side of its head.

Eventually, the glowing subsided, showing the Pokémon that stood before them.

"Wartortle!" It yelled.

Ryan took a few moments to process what had just happened.

The Squirtle that he had lived with for nearly four years of his life had just evolved into a Wartortle.

A smile slowly crept across his face.

He'd just had a great battle idea.

" **Quick Wartortle! Use Withdraw!** "

Wartortle quickly withdrew into it's shell.

" **Use Water Gun, but away from Whirlipede!** "

Brendan, May and Roxie both raised a curious and confused eyebrow at this.

But Wartortle knew what Ryan was planning.

Still in it's shell, it launched a long jet of water out of the hole in the back, causing it to slowly glide towards the Whirlipede, gradually picking up speed, essentially turning the shell into a homing missile.

Roxie then realised what Ryan was planning.

" **Whirlipede! Dodge it!** "

Whirlipede managed to roll out of the way, but all Wartortle did to counter this was slightly redirect the Water Gun, turning the shell in the direction of the Whirlipede.

After a short while of following the Pokémon around, Wartortle's shell smacked into Whirlipede at high speed, sending it flying through the air and crashing into the wall opposite them.

As Whirlipede fell down, it was found to be out cold.

"Whirlipede is unable to battle! Wartortle wins, which means the victor is the challenger: Ryan!" Declared the old man.

"Yes! Great job Wartortle!" Ryan yelled happily, running up to Wartortle and embracing it.

"Wartortle!" His friend yelled happily.

"Mate, that was just amazing!" Brendan said to him. "There's good battles, there's great battles and then there's that! Great job."

"Yeah. Congratulations." Added May.

Roxie walked onto the battlefield and up to Ryan.

"Hey. I've got to say, that was possibly the best battle I've ever experienced as a gym leader. Whilst I'm bummed out that Ilost, I'm happy to give you your own Toxic Badge" She said, handing it to Ryan.

Ryan took the badge, shook Roxie's hand and placed the badge in his badge case.

"Thank you" Ryan said politely.

"Now, I guess the next step for you would be to head off to Castelia City and challenge Burgh. One word of advice for you would be to have a good strategy against Bug type Pokémon".

"I've heard you can catch fire type Pokémon at the Virbank Complex, just down the road" The Old man explained.

"Okay. Thank you" Ryan replied.

The three trainers then left the gym and headed off towards the Pokémon centre to heal up his Pokémon before heading off.

* * *

Just like when searching for a Riolu, Ryan and Co. soon found themselves hiding in the bushes, waiting for a fire type Pokémon to appear.

Since Wartortle was heavier than Squirtle, Ryan was unable to carry him on his shoulder, so it waited next to him.

Unfortunately for them, the old man had failed to mention that fire types were rare in the Virbank complex.

Whilst they had indeed spotted a few normal and steel types, they still were left waiting for a fire type.

Then, just as they were about to give up, they looked over and noticed a Growlithe casually wandering past.

It was at this point that they leapt out from behind the shrubs and attacked.

" **Wartortle! Use Water Gun!** "

Wartortle then unleashed another long torrent of water from it's mouth, dealing more than enough damage to the Growlithe, thanks to type advantage and the element of surprise.

As the Growlithe recoiled from the shock, Ryan whipped out and empty pokeball.

" **Go! Pokeball!** "

Ryan threw the pokeball, where it then hit the Growlithe on its middle, causing the ball to open.

In it went.

It then fell to the ground and wobbled around for a short while.

_Vwoop_

_Vwoop_

_Vwoop_

_CLICK!_

Ryan beamed happily as he picked up the pokeball.

"Right. Castelia City?" He asked.

"Castelia City" the others replied.

However, just as they began to leave, Ryan noticed a shady looking individual leaning against one of the building, wearing a big trench coat and an equally big trilby.

"What's wrong?" Asked May.

"See that guy over there? Something tells me he's not here to catch Pokémon" He said, concerned.

The shady looking individual then stopped leaning on the wall and slowly began walking over to them.

"We'd best be going" Ryan said to his friends.

They began walking out of the complex and towards the docks, where they could catch a boat to Castelia City.

However, as Ryan looked behind him, he saw the shady figure following them.

"He's following us. We'd better pick up the pace" He whispered to them.

As they picked up speed, they walked past the Pokémon centre.

They then noticed that two more equally shady people were walking out and joining up with the first man.

The trio of trainers saw this and rapidly broke into a run.

However, as they sprinted towards the docks, they found their path blocked by three more men.

They couldn't jump down the side roads either. They were also blocked off.

The trio soon found themselves encircled by men.

"Okay, I know this looks bad, but can we just talk about this without having to resort to violence?" Ryan asked the men.

"Violence won't be necessary, my dear" Came a voice from behind the men.

Ryan's blood ran cold. He recognized that voice immediately.

As the men parted, Lucy walked into the circle, tailed by her Ninetales and a Piplup.

"Hello Lucy". Ryan said sourly. "I had a feeling that you would have something to do with this".

He looked down at the Piplup.

"What's with the Piplup?"

"Why it's your new Pokémon. Here to replace that unsightly Wartortle of yours" Lucy explained.

Wartorle began to get angry.

"Over my dead body" Ryan spat.

"Now, there's no need to be like that. Your parents and I just want what's best for you".

She then looked at Brendan and May.

"Firstly, I must commemorate you two for helping Ryan out on this part of his journey. Travelling with a league champion must have taught him a lot. However, if you would be so kind as to hand him over to us, then we'll let you be on your way".

Brendan stayed silent for a moment.

"How about no" he said. "From what this young lad has told us, going off with you would be the worst thing ever. So quite frankly, for his sake, he's sticking with us".

Lucy gave Ryan an icy glare.

"Now look, what Ryan's told you is nothing more than the over-exaggerated viewpoint of a teenager" She countered. "Besides, he's my fiance and he has certain family commitments to fill".

"Listen, Lady!" Brendan snapped. "I don't care what kind of "commitments" he has to fulfill. Quite frankly, we're sticking with him. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Regardless, Ryan will be heading off to Castelia City to challenge his 3rd Pokémon gym."

"You know, we could very easily get you two done for abduction if you don't give him back to us".

It was at this point that May snapped.

"RIGHT! THAT DOES IT!" She screamed, whipping out three pokeballs.

" **BLAZIKEN! MANECTRIC! LUDICOLO! LET'S DO THIS!** "

Brendan followed this up by whipping out three pokeballs of his own.

" **SCEPTILE! BRELOOM! MIGHTYENA! YOU TOO!** "

The men responded by bringing out various Crobats, Muks, Liepards and Sevipers.

Brendan and May nodded at each other.

"ATTACK!" They both screamed.

Soon, the Virbank dock soon descended into chaos, with Brendan and May trying to protect Ryan from the others.

Ryan also tried to pitch in with his Pokémon, but there was a serious power disadvantage for him.

Then, Brendan pulled out a 4th pokeball.

" **GO! SWELLOW!** "

Ryan could tell what Brendan was thinking by the look in his eye.

"Swellow, get Ryan and his pokemon out of here! Get them to Castelia City!"

"Swellow!" The bird Pokémon replied as Ryan withdrew his Pokémon and climbed onto its back with Wartortle.

"See you in Castelia City!" May yelled after him.

"Yes. Thank You!" Ryan yelled back.

Without waiting around, Swellow rapidly took off from the dock, with Ryan and Wartortle holding on tightly.

After they were a safe distance away, Ryan let out a loud sigh.

"That was close." He said to the Pokémon.


	6. "Something Bugging You?"

Ryan, Wartortle and Swellow soon found themselves touching down on Castelia City's own ship port.

Having just escaped from Lucy, the trio were worn out a little bit.

"Thanks for the help, Swellow" Ryan said to the bird Pokémon.

"Swellow!" It replied happily.

Ryan knew Lucy and his parents would soon be after him again, so he decided to quickly get his Pokémon some rest, challenge Burgh as soon as possible and, if all went to plan, be out of Castelia City before anyone could say "marriage".

As he turned to look out over the water, he could just about make out Virbank City in the distance.

He then spotted two small black shapes in the sky.

As they got closer, Ryan could see that the shapes were his friends, Brendan and May, flying on the backs of May's bird Pokémon, Pelipper and Tropius.

Eventually, they touched down next to Ryan.

May then returned her Pokémon to her pokeballs.

"Thanks, you two. Take a good long rest".

"You too, Swellow" Brendan said to his bird Pokémon, withdrawing it to its pokeball.

"Thanks for the back up, you guys". Ryan said to his friends.

"Don't mention it" replied Brendan. "Now, the way I see it, it won't be long until Lucy and your parents turn up. What I suggest doing is that we quickly head to the Pokémon centre to heal up our Pokémon and grab a bite to eat and then head off to battle Burgh. If they turn up before then, we'll have to lie low until they've gone".

"I like the sound of that".

With that, the three trainers left the port and headed into the nearby Pokémon centre.

They then handed their Pokémon in to Nurse Joy and grabbed a bite to eat.

"So, I was just thinking. You know how there's a Pokémon storage system?" Asked Ryan

"Yes?" Replied May.

"I was wondering. Are there any other Pokémon you two have?"

The two Hoenn trainers pondered this for a few moments.

"Well, I also have a Metang, a Solrock, a Linoone and a Minun back at home" Brendan replied.

"As for me, I also have a Skitty, a Lunatone, an Exploud and a Plusle in the storage system" added May. "Plus, We've also have a couple of legendaries back home as well".

Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Cool! Which ones?"

Brendan and May were about to tell him when Nurse Joy called them over to collect their Pokémon.

The trio then left the Pokémon centre and began trying to find their way to the Castelia City Gym.

However, as they turned on to the seafront road, they heard the sound of a familiar voice screaming out "HEY!"

Ryan's temperature plummeted at least 14 degrees Celsius as he recognised that voice.

As he nervously looked behind him, he spotted the all-too blood chilling sight of Lucy storming towards them with a look on her face that said "You'll be sorry you were ever born".

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Screamed Ryan, flailing his arms in fear. "RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!"

Ryan then dashed away from Lucy faster than his legs could carry him, his two friends trailing after him.

As they rounded a corner, they spotted a welcoming glow coming from a building on the right side of the road, emblazoned with the official pokemon gym logo.

The Castelia City Gym.

Without hesitation, they three trainers and Ryan's Wartortle burst through the doors.

They soon found out that the gym was also an artificial biome for bug type Pokémon, so that people could study them.

This also allowed the gym leader, Burgh to paint them.

The three trainers and the Wartortle dived into the undergrowth, obscuring them from view.

As they hid, they heard the sound of the doors to the gym opening, followed by the sound of footsteps running in.

The footsteps ran all around the artificial biome, even running past their hiding place a couple of times.

Soon, the footsteps stopped.

"Damn it! They got away again!" Yelled Lucy.

She then angrily marched out of the gym.

Ryan breathed a sigh of relief before jumping out from behind the undergrowth.

And crashing in to Burgh.

"Oww. Sorry about that, Burgh." Ryan groaned, rubbing his head as he helped the gym leader back on to his feet.

"That's alright, young trainer". Burgh replied, rubbing his own head. "Although I have to ask as to why exactly you were hiding in the bushes."

"Oh that? I was just hiding to escape from that psychopathic fiancé of mine" Ryan explained.

As he said this, Brendan, May and Wartortle came out from behind the bushes.

Burgh instantly recognised Brendan.

"OH MY GOD! THE HOENN CHAMPION!" Burgh screamed with delight as he proceeded to madly shake Brendan's hand.

"Erm. G-Glad to meet you Burgh" Brendan replied nervously. "Can I please have my hand back?"

Burgh soon released Brendan's hand.

"Are you here to battle me? Please tell me you're here to battle me! I would be an honour to battle with the Hoenn Champion!"

Brendan then proceeded to facepalm.

"For the third time! No, I'm not here to..." He began ranting before he took a deep breath and calmed himself down.

"Sorry, Burgh, but I'm not here to challenge you." He said before putting a hand on Ryan's shoulder.

"Ryan, here, has just arrived here off the back of getting his second gym badge. He's the one who's here to challenge you".

Burgh looked Ryan up and down.

Then, he grinned.

"Alright then. I accept your challenge, Ryan. Now, follow me please".

Burgh lead the group through another set of doors on the other side of the room.

On the other side of the doors was another artificially made biome for bug type Pokémon, except this time, there was a Pokémon battlefield carved into the ground.

Ryan and his Wartortle took their positions at one side of the field, whilst Burgh took his position at the other side of it.

May acted as the referee for this match.

Burgh then produced his first pokeball.

" **Go! Swadloon!** "

As Burgh's Swadloon appeared on the opposite end of the battlefield, Ryan considered which Pokémon to use.

Almost instantly, though, he knew which one to use.

" **Go! Growlithe!** "

Immediately, Ryan was on the attack.

" **Growlithe! Use ember!** "

Ryan's Growlithe then unleashed a torrent of small flames from its mouth, hitting the Swadloon before it and Burgh could even react.

Whilst the ember attack had inflicted heavy damage on the Swadloon, it somehow managed to hang on.

" **Quick, Swadloon! Use String shot!** "

Burgh's swadloon then launched a string of silk from it's mouth.

" **Counter it with Ember!** "

Growlithe then unleashed another ember attack, preventing the string from reaching it.

When the string eventually stopped, this allowed Growlithe to be able to land another successful round of ember.

This time, however, when the smoke cleared, Swadloon was out cold.

"Swadloon is unable to battle. Growlithe wins!" Declared May.

"Yes! Great job, Growlithe" Ryan said to his Growlithe

"Growwwwwwwwwlite!" it howled in return.

Burgh returned Swadloon to its ball.

"You tried your best, Swadloon" he said before producing another pokeball.

" **Go! Dwebble!** "

" **Same as before, Growlithe! Use Ember!** "

" **Dwebble! Counter with Smack Down!** "

As Dwebble leapt into the air, Growlithe launched another round of ember at the other Pokémon.

This time, however, Dwebble defended itself by pointing its shell towards the oncoming attack, massively reducing the amount of damage the attack dealt.

It then finished off the attack by hitting Growlithe with its shell, causing massive damage.

Despite reeling from the massiv edamage it received, Growlithe retaliated almost immediately with another Ember attack.

This time, Dwebble couldn't move fast enough to block the attack with its shell, allowing the attack to land and cause heavy damage.

" **Now use Bite!** "

Growlithe raced towards Dwebble, its fangs bared.

This was exactly what Burgh needed.

" **Smack Down once more!** "

Suddenly, Dwebble leapt up off the ground and came slamming back down on Growlithe with its shell.

This was more than enough to knock out Growlithe this time.

"Growlithe is unable to battle. Dwebble wins!" Declared May.

Ryan withdrew the unconscious Growlithe into its pokeball.

"You did good, buddy. Take a rest".

He then looked over to Wartortle.

"Go for it, buddy". He said.

"Wartortle!" His friends yelled as he ran onto the battlefield.

" **Okay, Wartortle! Use Water Gun!** "

Wartortle then unleashed a long torrent of water at the Dwebble before it had time to react, sending it flying in to the wall.

Much to their surprise, this was just about enough to render Dwebble unconscious.

"Dwebble is unable to battle! Wartortle wins!" Declared May.

"Yes! Great job! Just one more to go!" Ryan said happily to his friend.

Burgh withdrew Dwebble to its pokeball.

"You were amazing out there, my friend. You deserve a break".

He then produced his third and final pokeball.

" **Leavanny! Come on out!** "

Ryan decided to stick with Wartortle.

" **Wartortle! Bite!** "

" **Leavanny! Razor Leaf!** "

As Wartortle began charging towards Leavanny, it launched a few leaves at it.

Wartortle simply dodged out of the way of each one and carried on.

Eventually, Wartortle clamped it's jaws down on Leavanny, dealing significant damage.

" **Leavanny! String shot!** "

Much to Wartortle's surprise, Leavanny then launched a long trail of string at it, covering it in lots of thick, sticky silk and preventing it from moving.

" **Now use Razor Leaf!** "

Leavanny then began launching dozens of leaves at the immobilized Pokémon.

Wartortle never stood a chance.

Once the string eventually broke, Wartortle fell to the ground, out cold.

"Wartortle, No!" Ryan cried out, rushing over to his unconscious friend.

"Wartortle is unable to battle! Leavanny wins!" Declared May.

"Excellent work, Leavanny" Burgh said to his Pokémon.

Ryan cleared some of the extra string off Wartortle and lifted him up.

"Sorry, buddy. My bad. You did great, though". He said.

He then took Wartortle off the field and handed him to Brendan.

He then returned to his end of the battlefield.

He was left with the choice of who to choose next: Pachirisu or Riolu?

He knew Leavanny was both grass and bug type. He also knew that electric attacks weren't very effective against grass types and fighting attacks were weak against bug types.

He decided to take a gamble as he pulled out his 3rd pokeball.

" **Riolu! Go for it!** "

As Riolu came out of its ball, Ryan formulated a plan.

"Okay, Riolu. I'm going to hang back this time. Do what you have to do, but please try and win this". Ryan instructed to Riolu.

Riolu nodded. He knew what Ryan was planning.

Almost immediately, Riolu took off at incredible speed, striking the Leavanny with Quick Attack.

" **Use String Shot!** "

Leavanny tried to land a String Shot attack on Riolu, but the emanation Pokémon simply dodged out of the way by travelling in zigzags before landing another quick attack.

Each time Leavanny tried to land an attack, Riolu simply dodged and attacked at lightning speed. In fact, Riolu's attacks were slowly getting faster. Very soon, Leavanny couldn't even get a chance to attack as it was being bombarded by quick attacks.

Riolu eventually came to a stop just in front of the battered Leavanny.

It then lifted up one of it's paws to point at its head.

Suddenly, an enormous amount of energy burst out of Riolu's paw, inflicting damage onto Leavanny.

Force Palm.

Once the force Palm attack ceased, the two Pokémon stood facing each other, completely still before, finally, Leavanny toppled over.

It had fainted.

"Leavanny is unable to battle! Riolu wins, which means the victor is the challenger: Ryan!" May declared.

"Yes! Fantastic job, Riolu!" Ryan called out to his Pokémon, giving it a high five.

Burgh returned his Leavanny to its ball.

"Thank you Leavanny. You did good".

He then approached Ryan.

"I must say, that was possibly one of the best battles I've ever had with a trainer. Only the best trainers are able to put the battle fully in the hands of their Pokémon, but you pulled it off easily. Anyway, it is my privilege to present to you your own insect badge" The gym leader said happily before handing his challenger an insect badge.

"Thanks Burgh" Ryan replied, shaking his hand and placing the badge in his badge case.

"Now then, the next gym battle for you should probably be in Nimbasa City. The pokemon there are strong, so be ready. Oh, and tell Elesa I said hi."

"We will. Thanks and goodbye".

The three trainers then headed out of the gym and towards the Pokémon centre, with Ryan carrying his unconscious Wartortle.

* * *

Once his Pokémon had been healed, Ryan had shared a big hug with Wartortle.

"Now, Nimbasa City?" Ryan asked.

"Nimbasa City" Brendan replied.

They began walking out the doors.

Just then, however, Brendan's Xtransceiver began ringing.

"Hello?" Brendan asked, answering it.

It was Steven.

"Brendan. Thank god you answered".

"Steven, is something wrong?"

"Something is very wrong. A group of people have taken control of the Mossdeep space centre and have taken the people inside hostage. Plus they're threatening to start killing the hostages unless we give them what they want. They're asking for something called the "Griseous Orb".

"Who are these people?"

"I don't know. They're calling themselves Team Galactic."

Ryan's ears pricked up.

Team Galactic operating in the Hoenn Region? That was new.

"I've heard about them. Lucas defeated them a few years ago".

"Oh yeah. That's right. Anyway, myself and a few other trainers are about to storm the place and save the hostages. Wallace is on his way, but we're going to need more help".

"We'll be on our way" May answered. "In the meantime, try and contact Lucas".

"On it". Steven replied before hanging up.

Brendan and May then dashed to the nearby PC, withdrawing two ultra balls from storage before rushing out of the Pokémon centre with Ryan tailing after them.

Brendan and May turned to Ryan.

"Sorry to have to cut our journey short, but they need our help". May said.

"It's okay. Their lives are more important than mine". Ryan replied.

"Good luck for the rest of your journey, my friend" Brendan said, he and May giving Ryan a handshake.

"Likewise. Thank you for everything".

The two trainers then turned around and threw their ultra balls into the air.

" **Latios! Come on out!** "

" **You two, Latias!"**

As the two eon Pokémon appeared, Ryan was left standing in shock and amazement.

These were the legendary Pokémon they'd told him about.

As Brendan climbed onto the back of Latios, May climbed onto the back of Latias.

They both turned back to look at Ryan.

"See you soon, Ryan".

"Yeah. See you around".

They then turned back to their Pokémon.

"TO THE MOSSDEEP SPACE CENTRE!" Yelled Brendan.

With that, they took off into the night sky.

Ryan and Wartortle just stood their in awe for a few moments before Ryan eventually broke the silece with one word.

"Wow".

He then looked down at his partner.

"Come on then, buddy. We'll have a rest when we get to Nimbasa City".

The duo then began to head along one of the roads leading out of Castelia City.

"THERE THEY ARE!" Screeched a voice behind them.

Ryan just simply sighed before looking behind him.

Lucy, along with some more men in big trench coats were running towards them.

Ryan looked at his partner before saying one word.

"Run!"

The duo then began sprinting out of Nimbasa City, not looking back.

"Nimbasa City, here we come!" Ryan thought proudly.


	7. Old Friends, New Adventures

Ryan and Wartortle came steaming out of Castelia City and along Route 4, with Lucy and an army of shady trench coat wearing thugs in hot pursuit.

"IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW MUCH YOU RUN, RYAN!" Screamed Lucy. "YOU WILL BE MINE!"

"NEVER!" Replied Ryan, defiantly. "NOT EVEN IF I DEFEAT THE UNOVA LEAGUE!"

"YOU'LL NEVER WIN THE UNOVA LEAGUE WITH THAT UNSIGHTLY POKEMON OF YOURS"

This made Wartortle angry.

"Don't worry, mate. We can lose these guys". Ryan reassured him.

As he said this, he spotted a turnoff on the road ahead.

He remembered that whilst the road straight ahead lead to Nimbasa City, the road on his left lead to the Desert Resort.

"Perhaps we could lose them there" Ryan thought to himself.

Ryan and Wartortle then dived down the road on their left, with the others still following him.

As they drew closer to the Desert resort, a sandstorm started to pick up.

They decided to keep running, shielding their faces from the sand with their arms.

As the duo eventually reached the desert resort, Ryan had an idea.

"Quick. Into the sand" Ryan said to Wartortle.

The duo then rapidly dug into the sand, laid down and then covered their backs with the sand, essentially camouflaging them from view.

They didn't dare move an inch as they heard the sound of footsteps getting close to them.

"Oh god, why do I have to get an itchy nose now?" Ryan thought to himself, trying to prevent himself from eliminating the itch.

For a few moments, there was only the sound of rushing wind.

"I think they got away again." One of the guys said

This was followed by an angry yell from Lucy.

"Don't worry, ma'am. We'll get them" Another reassured her.

Ryan then heard the sounds of footsteps heading away from them.

He waited until the footstep sounds had stopped, then he poked his head out of the sand.

They'd gone.

"It's okay. They're gone now." he said to Wartortle.

The duo then climbed out of the sand, brushed themselves off and gave each other a small high-five.

"Right then. Nimbasa City". He said as they began to make their way out of the Desert Resort.

Just then, however, something sharp bit one of Ryan's left foot, causing him to yelp in pain.

As Ryan nursed his foot, he looked down at what had bitten him.

A Trapinch was staring up at him.

Ryan whipped out his pokedex.

_Trapinch_

_The ant pit Pokémon_

_It makes an inescapable conical pit and lies in wait at the bottom for prey to come tumbling down._

_Level: 21_

_Known Moves:_

_Bulldoze_

_Bide_

_Mud-slap_

_Sand Tomb_

_Ability:_

_Hyper Cutter_

"If I remember correctly, Trapinch is a ground type pokemon, which could be incredibly handy at the next gym" Ryan thought to himself.

However, when he looked up from his pokedex, he noticed that Trapinch had begun wandering off.

"Oh no you don't" Ryan said, pocketing his pokedex. " **Wartortle! Water Gun!** "

Wartortle then launched a long torrent of water at the trapinch, inflicting a massive amount of damage and catching it off guard, even sending it flying backwards.

Ryan then whipped out an empty pokeball.

" **Now, go pokeball!** "

As the pokeball flew through the air, it bumped against Trapinch's jaws.

As it opened, it took in Trapinch before falling to the ground.

_Vwoop_

_Vwoop_

_Vwoop_

_CLICK!_

"Well, that wasn't so hard" Ryan said happily to himself as he pocketed the pokeball. "Welcome aboard, Trapinch".

He and his Pokémon then made their way out of the desert resort, giving each other another celebratory high-five for their newest catch.

however, as they made their way out of the sandstorm, they could just about make out a figure in the dust.

At first, they feared that Lucy had come back. However, they eventually saw that it was a boy, just about the same age as Ryan, walking into the dust. The boy had short blonde hair, hazel eyes and was wearing a red and black checked trainer jacket with jeans and trainers.

He was travelling alongside a girl with long brown hair, green eyes and was wearing a yellow t-shirt with a black skirt.

Both had bags slung over their shoulders.

A huge smile spread across Ryan's face as he recognised them.

Jason and Selina.

His childhood friends.

"JASON! SELINA!" He called out to them.

The two trainers looked over to see where the voice was coming from.

As they spotted Ryan, huge smiles spread across their faces.

The three trainers then rushed at each other, enveloping each other in a massive hug.

"Guys, it's great to see you again after all this time". Ryan said happily as they broke the hug.

"Same here" Replied Jason.

He then looked down at Wartortle.

"Oh, sweet. Your Squirtle evolved".

"Sure did. It evolved during our battle against Roxie".

"Speaking of which, is it true?" Asked Selina.

"What?"

"That you were travelling with the Hoenn Champion?"

"Yes. Yes it was."

"You have no idea how jealous the two of us are!"

"I'll tell you all about it, but right now I think it would be best if we got out of this sandstorm".

"Good idea".

* * *

The trio of trainer soon found themselves sitting on the side of Route 4, discussing their travels.

"So tell us how you met up with Brendan and May".

"Well, it all started when I ran away from home".

"Wait.. You ran away from home?! Why?"

"Well, I'd made an agreement with my parents to get married before I headed off on my journey so I could have a more secure future. They eventually hooked me up with a girl called Lucy. Now, to begin with, she was quite a sweet girl. However, soon after our marriage was announced, she began to become more controlling and possessive, trying to change me into a "true gentleman". But what really got me riled was that she wanted to get rid of my Squirtle in favour of a Piplup".

"That's awful. No wonder you ran away".

"Didn't your parents know about this?"

"I tried to reason with them, but there was nothing they could do. So, on the eve of my wedding, I opted to run away with Squirtle and begin my adventure early. However, once we'd made it past the gate, we were attacked by a horde of angry Sewaddle. We tried to make a break for it, but the Sewaddle managed to knock Squirtle out and wrap the two of us up in silk. However, as I began to pass out, Brendan and May showed up, drove off the horde and got the two of us to the nearest Pokémon centre. From there, the rest was history. Now, however, they've gone back to the Hoenn Region as part of an urgent rescue mission".

Jason was looking out into space.

"Jason, are you okay?"

"Huh? What? Oh, I'm fine thanks. I was just remembering the first Pokémon battle we had". He said.

"Oh, I remember that". Ryan said happily.

* * *

_Two years ago_

Ryan, Jason and Selina were busy playing on their Nintendo Wii on the massive TV in the living room of Jason's house.

It was the last day before Jason and his family moved off to Ecruteak City in the Johto Region with Selina and her parents so the two boys were trying to get in as much as possible before then.

At this moment in time, they were busy having an intense game of Mario Kart, with all three of them fighting for the lead around Rainbow Road., with Squirtle eagerly watching.

As they crossed the finish line, Jason was first, Selina was second and Ryan was a distant third.

He wasn't that good at Mario Kart.

Jason, however, was satisfied with his win.

Then, he had an idea.

"Hey Ryan, seeing as this is the last day we'll be able to meet like this for a while, how about we have a Pokémon battle? Your Squirtle against one of my Pokémon?"

Ryan thought about this for a moment.

"Challenge accepted". He replied.

The three teenagers then headed out into the garden with Ryan and Jason taking opposite ends of the garden, with Selina watching.

Jason then produced a pokeball.

" **Machop! Your time is now!** "

The two Pokémon stood opposite each other, determined to win.

" **Okay Squirtle, Use Tackle!** "

" **Counter with Low Kick!** "

As Machop attempted to knock Squirtle off it's feet with a Low Kick, Squirtle leapt up and landed the tackle on Machop's face.

And that's how the battle continued: both Pokémon fighting hard, landing attack after attack on each other.

Their parents were even watching eagerly, making bets on who would win.

Finally, after much hard fighting, Squirtle managed to land one final Tackle attack on Machop, knocking it out.

"Yeah! Great job, Squirtle!" Ryan yelled happily as he scooped up his Squirtle and embraced him happily.

"Squirtle Squirt!" His friend replied.

"You fought hard, Machop. You deserve a rest" Jason said, returning Machop to it's pokeball.

He then went up to Ryan and Squirtle.

"Thanks for the great battle, mate" He said, shaking Ryan's hand.

"Don't mention it". Ryan replied.

* * *

When it was time for Ryan and his parents to leave, he, Jason and Selina were standing on Jason's front doorstep.

"Well, my friends, this is it. This will be the last time we'll see each other at this place. Possibly, even, the last time in a year or two".

"Don't worry. We will see each other again at some point".

"Yeah. Until then, good luck in Ecruteak City".

The three friends then all embraced.

As they broke the hug, Ryan and Squirtle then climbed into their waiting car.

As they got in, did up their seatbelts and shut the door, they rolled down their window.

"Farewell, you two". Ryan called to them.

"Likewise, Ryan. Farewell".

As the car began to pull away from the driveway, the three friends waved to each other.

Once they'd left the driveway, a lone tear fell down Ryan's face.

"Don't worry about them, Ryan". His mom had said to him. "Selina's right. You'll meet again eventually".

* * *

_Present Day_

"So, why exactly are you over here in Unova, anyway?" Ryan asked.

"Oh, we're on our travels around the world. On our way here, we decided to drop by and give you a pleasant surprise. We didn't know that you were travelling with the Hoenn Champion until we docked in Undella Town". Selina replied.

"Hey Ryan. How about we have a battle. You know, for old times sake?" Jason asked.

Ryan looked over at Wartortle, who was half asleep by this point.

"No thanks, Jason. We've been travelling non-stop for most of the day, so we need to catch a few z's when we get to Nimbasa City".

"Hey, how about we travel with you? It's been years since we last saw each other, so why not make up for it by coming with you on your journey?"

Ryan thought about this for a moment.

"Okay then".

With that, the three trainers picked themselves up off the ground, with Ryan carrying Wartortle to their next stop.

Nimbasa City.


	8. Sound of the Underground

The three trainers soon arrived in Nimbasa City, where they immediately headed to the Pokémon centre.

Once Ryan had healed his Pokémon, the trio checked in to one of the center's bedrooms and changed into their Pyjamas.

Ryan then flopped down on his bed, completely shattered.

"It feels good to finally catch a breather" He sighed.

"Hey Ryan, can we see your other Pokémon please?" Asked Jason "We'll show you ours".

"Very well then". Replied Ryan as he went for his pokeballs.

" **Come on out, everyone!** "

Ryan then released Riolu, Pachirisu, Growlithe and his newly caught Trapinch.

"Nice collection you have there" Selina commented.

She and Jason then went for their balls.

" **Team, come on out!** "

" **You guys too!** "

Jason released a Machoke, an Ariados, and a Buizel.

Selina released a Froslass, a Delcatty and a Cinccino.

"I assume you caught most of these Pokémon on your travels"

"We did indeed".

"Ah. A very nice array of Pokémon on both your teams. Now I don't know about you, but I really need some shut-eye".

"Yeah. Same here"

The trio returned their Pokémon to their pokeballs before climbing into their bunk beds. Jason and Selina shared one of the bunk beds. Ryan slept in the bottom bunk of the other, whilst Wartortle slept in the bed on the top bunk, sleeping in its shell.

"Night guys" Ryan called out to them as he flicked off the light switch.

"Yeah. Goodnight".

* * *

When the crew eventually awoke, it was still very early in the morning, with the sunlight shining through the curtains.

Still in their Pyjamas, they went and grabbed a bite to eat for breakfast. The crew also opened a few tins of food for their Pokémon.

As they sat there eating their breakfast, their attention was caught by the television on the wall.

On TV, a show called "TrainerNow!" was being broadcasted.

It was one of the most popular shows in the world.

"Now, over to the Unova Region, where one young trainer has been starting to make a name for himself in the trainer community" Said the presenter. "The trainer in question is none other than Ryan from Floccesy Town. Having originally been brought to the local Pokémon center after coming under attack from Sewaddle, Ryan has recently become famous for his unique and unconventional battle style, which included combining moves and allowing the Pokémon to do what they wanted in battle. Whilst indeed unconventional, it has proved very successful, winning Ryan three gym badges so far and is believed to be on his way to Nimbasa City to battle Elesa for his fourth. We caught up with Roxie to hear what she though about the young trainer and his battling style".

The show then cut to the Virbank City gym. The presenter was interviewing Roxie.

"So Roxie, tell us about your battle with Ryan."

"Well, It started with me sending out my Koffing and him sending out his Pachirisu..."

"Oh! So he has a Pachirisu".

"...Yes. Anyway, we did manage to poison the Pachirisu, but that didn't stop Pachirisu knocking out Koffing with a Volt Tackle".

"It was at this point that you sent out Whirlipede, right?"

"Right. Anyway, Whirlipede was more than a match for Pachirisu, but this was mainly helped by Pachirisu's poisoning. After that, Ryan then sent out his Squirtle. Fortunately for us, we were able to inflict heavy damage onto it. However, Ryan received a stroke of luck when Squirtle evoled into Wartortle halfway through the battle".

"Then what happened?"

"Well, he got Wartortle to withdraw into it's shell. Then, he told Wartortle to use Water Gun, but pointing away from Whirlipede. This, basically turned Wartortle's shell into a ballistic missile. Whirlipede tried to move out of the way, but Wartortle just simply redirected its shell. Eventually this was more than enough to knock out Whirlipede and hand Ryan and his Pokémon the victory".

"What are your thoughts on his unconventional battle style, seeing as this is apparently what also allowed his victory against Burgh?"

"Well...Wait. He defeated Burgh already? Wow. He's better than I thought. Anyway, whilst his style is indeed unique, it gives him an edge over the others, so there's no faulting that. It's a kind of...insane genius...that Ryan has got going on".

"Finally, there are some who are currently tipping Ryan as one who may eventually go on to defeat the Unova League. what are your thoughts?"

"Well, I can't give a definitive answer to that, but he and his Pokémon certainly have potential".

The presenter then turned to the camera.

"Well, you've heard it hear, folks. This young kid from Floccesy Town might just go on to become the next Unova Champion. To Ryan, I say this: Wherever you are, good luck".

Ryan and Wartortle shared a high-five.

"Wow. You're receiving critical acclaim already. Good job, mate" Jason said, giving Ryan a fist bump.

"I just hope that nothing bad happens. With all this growing attention, you're bound to attract the attention of a few shady individuals". Selina told Ryan, concerned.

"Don't worry about it, Selina" Ryan reassured her. "Aside from Team Plasma, this part of the world has actually been quite peaceful for the last few years. What could possibly happen now?"

As if on cue, the peace of Nimbasa City was disrupted by an earth shaking explosion coming from the battle subway, just across the road.

Everyone in the Pokémon center rushed over to the windows to see what was going on.

They saw a large group of black-clad, shady looking people filing in through the blasted down doorways of the battle subway, followed by various Golbats and Grimers.

The trio of trainers eventually realized who they were when they noticed that on the clothing of the group, there was a big letter R.

Team Rocket.

The trio's blood began to boil.

"Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Selina.

"If what you're thinking includes stopping Team Rocket from carrying out whatever dastardly scheme they've planned, then yes". Replied Jason.

"Same here" Added Ryan.

"Let's do this"

The trio and their Pokémon came rushing out of the Pokémon center to face the Rocket grunts.

"HEY!" Screeched Selina.

This successfully caught the attention of the grunts that hadn't headed into the subway.

"What do you kids want?" Snapped one of the grunts.

"Now, I don't know what you lot are up to, but quite frankly, I don't care. All I can say is that the likes of you aren't welcome in Nimbasa City. Stop whatever plan you intend to pull off and leave now, or be prepared to fight".

The Rocket Grunts just simply burst out laughing.

"Please. We're the finest criminal organisation in the business" Another grunt replied. "I'd suggest going away before even considering battling us. Besides, there's many of us, but only three of you".

"MAKE THAT FOUR!" Came a voice from behind them. " **Gengar! Confuse Ray!** "

A sinister ray was then exposed to the grunts and their Pokémon, sending them into a confused state, almost like they were on drugs.

The trio could soon see who had called out to them, as a young Pokémon trainer and his Gengar make their way past the grunts.

The trainer in question looked a little bit older than Ryan. He was wearing a dark blue and red jacket, with matching blue trousers and matching blue and red trainers. The red on his jacket and trainers matched the red hair on his head.

"Are you three alright?" Asked the trainer as he went over to them.

"Uh, yeah. Fine thanks" Replied Jason.

Just then, two more young trainers, a male and a female, came running round the corner.

"You've got to stop running off like that, Silver" The female trainer said to the first trainer.

Whilst Ryan failed to recognize the female trainer, he instantly recognized the male trainer.

The male trainer looked about the same age as Silver. He was wearing a crimson jacket, black short, red and white trainers and a black and yellow cap backwards on his head, allowing some of his dark hair to hang out.

"OH MY GOD! I KNOW YOU! YOU'RE ETHAN! THE INDIGO LEAGUE CHAMPION! AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Ryan screamed with excitement, fanboying all over the place.

Jason and Selina were pretty surprised as well.

"Um, yeah" Ethan began. "So hi, I'm Ethan. Nice to meet you. These guys are Silver and Lyra".

"Hi".

"Hello".

"I'm Ryan" Ryan replied, eventually calming down. "These guys are my friends: Jason and Selina".

"Hello there".

"Hi!"

"Now then, I take it from the way Silver attacked those grunts over there that you've been on the trail of Team Rocket".

"Exactly. Ever since we heard that a surviving strand of Team Rocket had arrived on the shores of Unova, we've been working nonstop to take them down".

"We'd actually just arrived here when we heard the explosion".

"What is it that Team Rocket want in the battle subway?"

"That's what we're trying to find out".

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, you guys, but we still need to take down Team Rocket".

"Can't we help?"

"What?"

"We want to help. We hate Team rocket as much as you guys, so we'd gladly help take them down".

The three Johto trainers pondered this for a minute.

"Alright then. You can help" Ethan said to them. "Now, the way I see it, we need to attack on two fronts, so we need to split up. Silver and I will attack through the front with Ryan. Lyra, Jason and Selina, you three attack via the maintenance tunnel. Everyone ready?"

"READY!"

"Let's get 'em!"

The six trainers then headed off in their separate directions with their Pokémon, with Jason tying up the grunts outside with a String Shot from his Ariados.

"You ready, Ryan?" Asked Silver as they prepared to enter through the front doors.

"Born ready".

As the three trainers entered the building and descended the steps, they were swarmed by enemy Pokémon.

Ryan and his Pokémon immediately retaliated, with Silver's Gengar pitching in.

Growlithe even managed to show that it had learnt Flame Wheel.

This allowed Ethan and Silver to go for some of their extra pokeballs.

" **Typhlosion! Politoed! Beedrill! Come on out!** "

" **Weavile! Magnezone! Feraligatr! You too!** "

Eventually, the group managed to knock the dozens of enemy Pokémon and tie them up with a String Shot from Beedrill.

Ethan then spotted a group of grunts running down one of the subway tunnels.

"There going that way. After them!" He yelled as he and the others took off after them.

At this exact moment, Lyra, Jason and Selina had reached the maintenance tunnel only to find, however, that it had been blocked by rubble from the explosion.

Once they'd cleared the rubble from the tunnel entrance, they came across a maintenance car parked in a nearby siding.

As they all piled in to the car, they found it to have no power.

This was quickly solved by Lyra opening up one of her Pokeballs, letting her Flaaffy out.

" **Flaffy! Use Charge!** "

The maintenance cart then took off down the tunnel, with Jason at the controls.

As they flew down the tunnel, they were ambushed by more Rocket grunts and their Pokémon.

However, the team quickly put them down with attacks from their own Pokemon.

" **Ariados! String Shot!** "

" **Froslass! Blizzard!** "

These attacks both wrapped up the enemy grunts and their Pokémon in silk and froze them in ice.

Further in the tunnel, Ethan, Ryan and Silver were catching up to the grunts that were running away from them.

Soon, however, they spotted a strange glowing blue light deeper in the tunnel, which was getting brighter the closer they got to it.

Eventually, as they got closer to the grunts, they could see where the light was coming from.

Sitting in the middle of the tracks was a strange device with a computer hooked up to it, surrounded by rocket grunts.

Locked inside the device was a small Pokemon with an orange body and surrounded entirely by plasma.

Rotom

"Well well. It appears the Indigo Champion has decided to grace us with his presence" Remarked the leader of the grunts, a strange looking man with purple hair.

"I don't know what you're planning Petrel, but I'm not down with it one bit" Declared Ethan. "Release Rotom and we might just go easy on you!"

"Such a bad choice of words" Petrel chuckled as he hit a button on the computer.

A timer began to count down from ten minutes.

Rotom then began screeching in pain.

"RETREAT!" Roared Petrel as he and the grunts began to evacuate the tunnel.

"Oh no you don't! **Gengar! Confuse Ray!** "

Gengar then sent another sinister looking ray at the Rocket Grunts, causing them to fall down in a drug-like state.

Jason, Selina and Lyra then arrived in the maintenance car.

"Sorry we're late. We ran into some more grunts back there" Lyra called to them.

"Don't worry about that!" Ethan replied "Right now, we have to deactivate this damn device!"

The whole team then began trying desperately to stop the device from counting down and rescue Rotom, but without much luck. Even Jason's Machoke couldn't break through Rotom's prison.

"Trap! Trap!" Yelled out Trapinch.

"What is it, Trapinch?"

"Trapinch! Trap!"

"Hey guys, I think Trapinch might be on to something".

The team then took a step back to see what Trapinch was going to do.

As they watched, a thin layer of white energy appeared around both Trapinch and a section of ceiling above the device.

Ryan realized what Trapinch was doing.

"That's Rock Slide! Everyone back!"

As the team took another few steps back, the whole section of the ceiling became detached from the rest of the ceiling and fell onto the device and kicking up a whole cloud of dust.

As the dust cleared, they heard the sound of a device deactivating.

The Rotom then squeezed through a hole in the rubble and flew away, with the team releasing one collective sigh of relief.

* * *

It wasn't too long before the police eventually showed up and took both the grunts and the device into custody.

The six trainers had arrived outside the battle subway to a hero's welcome.

Whilst Lyra stayed with the police to give them information on the situation, the others were talking with each other.

"It's strange, you know".

"What is?"

"First, Team Aqua and Team Plasma show up at Pokestar Studios, then Team Galactic attack the Mossdeep Space Centre, now this".

"Why do I get the impression that they're connected somehow?"

"I can't blame you for thinking that".

Just then, Lyra came over to the group.

"I just found out something interesting from the police. You know how we thought that device was a bomb?"

"Yes".

"Well, it turns out, it was indeed a bomb, but it wasn't lethal. However, it would've been no less devastating".

"What kind of bomb was it?"

"According to them, it is called a Tech Bomb. Basically, it is designed to shut off all electrical devices within it's blast radius for a 24-hour period".

"How big would the blast radius have been?"

"It's just an estimate, but they say it would've been enough to temporarily shut down the entire Unova Region".

This shocked the group.

"Knowing Team Rocket, this probably won't be the last attack of this nature".

"Don't worry. We'll look into it".

"Thanks for the help, you three".

"Don't mention it".

"See you!"

"Yeah, see you!"

The three Johto trainers then headed off, still on the hunt for Team Rocket.

"Hey wait". Ryan said to his friends. "I've just realized that we went through all that and we're still in our pyjamas".

Jason and Selina looked down at their clothes. They were indeed still wearing their pyjamas.

"We'd better change before heading to the gym" Jason said.

The three trainers then began heading back to the Pokémon center.

Just then, however, Ryan noticed that something was up.

"Wait. Where's Riolu?" He asked.

He then noticed Riolu was standing next to railing, looking out over the horizon.

"Hey Riolu, are you alright?" Ryan asked his friend.

Riolu looked over at Ryan.

It gave a small grin before nodding.

Then, suddenly, Riolu began to glow brightly.

Ryan and his friends watched and waited as Riolu's body began to change.

Its limbs grew longer, it grew spikes on it's hands, it's ears grew longer and it got taller.

The bright light eventually subsided.

Lucario stood before them.

The three trainers stood there in complete shock.

Ryan eventually brought himself to say three words.

"Oh hell yes".


	9. Electrifying!

The three trainers were soon dressed and ready to head out to the Nimbasa City gym, so Ryan could take on Elesa.

In terms of the battle that was about to ensue, Ryan had mainly pinned his hopes on Trapinch, Growlithe and Lucario to help him win the battle.

However, if it came to the worst, he knew he'd be ready to use Pachirisu and Wartortle.

He, Jason, Selina and his Wartortle soon arrived at the front doors to the Nimbasa City gym.

"Well, let's do this". Ryan said to his friends before marching up to the doors of the gym, grabbing hold of the handles and trying to pull the doors open.

They were locked shut.

"Oh come on!" Yelled Ryan as he gave the doors a few more pulls before giving up.

"Hey, there's a note stuck to the door" Selina said to them as she walked over and began reading it.

_Dear Challengers,_

_I regret to inform you that I will not be able to accept your challenge at the moment, as there is a fashion show currently being held within the gym. Once it is over, however, battling will resume as per usual._

_Sincerely, Elesa._

"Well, that sucks"

"Well, she is a professional model"

"Hey, how about we go and watch it. I've heard it's always good to thing to know what the gym leader is like before you battle them".

"Alrighty then".

The trio then made their way round to one of the side doors and went it.

Inside, it was pitch black, with the exception of the catwalk in the middle of the gym.

The gym itself was filled by the sounds of a pulsing techno beat and dozens of screaming fans.

The trio of trainers pushed their way through the people until they could get a good view of the catwalk.

"Next up is the leader of Nimbasa City gym. The shining beauty herself: Elesa!" called out the announcer.

Sure enough, Elesa soon appeared at one end of the catwalk, greeted by the sound of screaming fans.

She then began making here way down the catwalk, showing off the latest designer dresses.

"Wow! She's so elegant" Selina said, enthralled by the dresses.

"I'm not big in the fashion department, but I'll agree with you on that" Jason added.

"If she battles as good as she looks, then I'm in for a great fight".

Just then, one of the pokeballs on Ryan's belt opened up and Pachirisu appeared.

"Chi Pa!" It yelled out, obviously liking the dresses Elesa was wearing.

This outcry from Pachirisu attracted the attention of a few people around them.

This even managed to get the attention of Elesa herself.

"Is that what I thinkit is?" She cried out happily.

Much to the surprise of everyone, she then leapt off the catwalk and scooped up Pachirisu.

"EEEE!" She squealed happily "Look at this little puff ball! It's so cute!"

Elesa then noticed Ryan.

"I take it this Pachirisu is yours".

"Correct".

"You have no idea how jealous I am! A Pachirisu is such a rare sight in the Unova Region".

She handed the Pachirisu back to Ryan, who returned it to it's ball.

"They are indeed".

Elesa then took a long hard look at Ryan before eventually realizing who he was.

"Hey, I know you! You're that kid that people have been talking about recently. I take it you're here for a battle. Am I right?"

"Correct again, Elesa".

"Hmm. I've heard great things about you. Tell you what, once the show has finished, I'll battle you".

"Great. Thank you!"

With that, Elesa then hopped back onto the catwalk and the fashion show continued as if nothing had happened.

* * *

Once the fashion show had eventually finished, some of the spectators began getting ready to leave.

Just then, however, Elesa reappeared on one end of the catwalk.

"Don't go away just yet, everybody!" She called out. "I've got one last thing for you".

She then looked in Ryan's direction.

"Ryan, your time is now".

As Ryan and Wartortle clambered up onto the catwalk, the people began clapping and cheering.

The cameras surrounding the room also zoomed in on him.

"I take it from the reception that you recognize him. Ryan, are you ready to battle?"

"Ready as I'll ever be".

Elesa then pulled out one of her Pokeballs.

" **Go! Emolga!** "

As Emolga came out of its Pokeball, Ryan had to think about which Pokémon to send out.

"Since Emolga is part Flying Type, that makes it immune to Ground Type attacks, which is mainly what Trapinch has in its arsenal, aside from Rock throw. Also, it being part Flying Type makes it resistant to Fighting Type attacks, which means..."

" **Go! Growlithe!** "

As Growlithe appeared, Elesa wasted no time in getting Emolga to attack.

" **Emolga! Aerial Ace!** "

Emolga then took off, flying at Growlithe, engulfed by streaks of white light.

" **Dodge it, then use Flame Wheel!** "

As Ryan said this, Growlithe leapt into the air, narrowly avoiding Emolga. It then surrounded itself in a giant wheel of flame before slamming back down on the Emolga, causing significant damage to it.

" **Quick! Use Volt Switch!** "

Emolga then landed a powerful jolt of electricity onto Growlithe before disappearing into its pokeball.

Elesa then pulled out another pokeball.

" **Flaaffy! Go for it!** "

Ryan anticipated this.

" **Growlithe! Return!** "

As Growlithe went back into its ball, Ryan took out his second ball.

" **Go! Trapinch!** "

This time, it was Ryan who was immediately on the attack.

" **Trapinch, use Mud Slap!** "

Trapinch then proceeded to launch clump after clump of mud at Flaaffy, causing considerable damage, due to type advantage.

As Flaaffy's HP was whittled away, Ryan went for the finisher.

" **Wrap this up with Bulldoze!** "

Trapinch then proceeded to charge at the dazed Flaaffy, surrounding itself with energy before colliding with it, sending Flaaffy flying high into the wall, knocking it out.

"Flaaffy is unable to battle! Trapinch wins!" Declared the announcer.

"Yes! Great job Trapinch!" Ryan said to his Pokémon.

Elesa withdrew Flaaffy into its ball.

"You looked great out there, my friend" She said before pulling out here second pokeball.

" **Emolga! Come on out again!** "

Ryan reacted to this as well, withdrawing Trapinch into its ball and pulling out another.

" **Growlithe! You're needed again!** "

This part of the battle went just like before.

" **Emolga! Aerial Ace!** "

" **Growlithe! Flame Wheel!** "

The two pokemon then charged at each other once again, each wielding their different attacks, each dealing each other damage.

This time, however, as Growlithe landed, its body coursed with electricity as it was almost frozen stiff.

It had been paralysed.

" **Okay, let's finish this up with Pursuit!** "

The Emolga then launched a powerful Pursuit attack at the paralyzed Growlithe.

Despite its best efforts to move, Growlithe couldn't resist its paralysis and soon found itself on the receiving end of Emolga's Pursuit, which proved more than enough to knock Growlithe out.

"Growlithe is unable to battle! Emolga wins!" Declared the announcer.

"You did your best Growlithe. Thank you" Ryan said to Growlithe, returning it to its ball.

This then left Ryan with the tough decision of which Pokémon to send out next.

However, as he did this, he had a brainwave.

"Emolga may be part Electric Type, but it's also part Flying type, which is weak to Electric Type attacks, so..."

He pulled out another pokeball.

" **Go! Pachirisu!** "

Ryan wasted no time in getting Pachirisu to attack.

" **Pachirisu! Electro Ball!** "

Pachirisu focused its stored power to create a ball of electricity on its tail before hurling it at the Emolga.

" **Dodge it, then use Quick Attack!** "

The Emolga then strafed out of the way of the Electro Ball before rapidly diving towards the Pachirisu.

But Ryan anticipated this.

" **Now use Volt Tackle!** "

Pachirisu then began charging at the Emolga, surrounding itself with electricity.

Emolga tried to pull up, but Pachirisu simply leapt up and struck the Emolga hard, sending it spinning into the wall, knocked out.

"Emolga is unable to battle! Pachirisu wins!" Declared the announcer.

"Yeah! Great job Pachirisu!" Ryan said to his Pokémon.

Elesa then returned the Emolga to its ball.

"Thank you, my friend. You fought magnificently".

She then pulled out another ball.

"Okay, last one. **Zebstrika, your turn!** "

Ryan reacted to this as well, quickly withdrawing Pachirisu and pulling out another ball.

" **Go! Trapinch!** "

Ryan wasted no time in getting Trapinch to use its most powerful attack.

" **Use Rock Slide!** "

Elesa countered this with one of Zebstrika's attacks

" **Use Flame Charge!** "

As Trapinch began to make rocks appear above Zebstrika, the thunderbolt Pokémon began charging towards Trapinch, surrounding itself in fire.

Despite its best efforts, Trapinch couldn't land a rock on Zebstrika.

Whilst Trapinch did manage to land a few shots with Mud Slap, this failed to stop Zebstrika from landing its attack.

Much to the surprise of everyone, Trapinch went flying through the air before crashing down, knocked out from the critical hit.

"Trapinch is unable to battle! Zebstrika wins!" Declared the announcer

Ryan, still a bit shocked from the outcome of that skirmish, withdrew Trapinch into its ball.

"Thank you for everything, Trapinch" He said.

"Well, there goes my strategy" He thought to himself, as he began thinking about which of his three remaining Pokémon to use next: Wartortle, Pachirisu or his newly evolved Lucario.

As he came to a decision, he pulled out a third pokeball.

" **Lucario! Go for it!** "

Ryan knew that everything currently hinged on Lucario, so didn't waste time.

" **Quick Attack!** "

" **Flame Charge!** "

The two Pokémon then proceeded to charge at each other. However, just before they impacted, Lucario made the smart decision of leaping out of the way and allowing itself to strike Zebstrika from the side.

Zebstrika tried again, but Lucario managed to strike it with Quick Attack once again.

The next time, however, Zebstrika successfully landed the Flame Charge. Fortunately for Ryan, Lucario was significantly more resilient than Trapinch, so managed to withstand the attack, despite receiving lots of damage.

This then continued for a couple of minutes, with the two Pokémon each whittling away at each other.

However, when Zebstrika managed to land another Flame Charge attack, it was enough to knock Lucario off its feet.

Lucario laid on the ground for a few moments, facing the ground and slowly gathering strength before it eventually began slowly picking itself up. It was beaten and worn, but it wouldn't give in any time soon.

"Hang in there, Lucario. You can do this!" Ryan said to the aura Pokémon.

Lucario nodded, grunting in reply.

However, Ryan noticed that Lucario's paws were coursing with aura energy.

Lucario then bunched up its paws into fists and put them out in front of him, pressed together.

As it pulled them apart, a bone of energy began to form between them.

Once it eventually formed, Lucario held it like a ninja would hold their staff.

Lucario had just learnt Bone Rush.

Ryan, realising what was happening before him, knew what he had to do.

"Lucario, I think you know what you have to do now. Go for it, my friend" He said to Lucario

"Tortle!" Wartortle added.

Lucario nodded, then, still carrying the staff, charged towards the Zebstrika.

" **Zebstrika! Flame Charge once more!** "

Zebstrika surrounded itself with fire once again and charged at Lucario.

However, Lucario had anticipated this. As the two Pokémon met in the middle, Lucario intercepted the Flame Charge by leaping up and striking Zebsrtika in the jaw with its bone before striking it on its head.

Lucario then proceeded to rapidly land strike after strike with its bone, causing even more damage to Zebstrika.

Lucario landed its final hit by sweeping Zebstrika off its feet with the bone.

This was just about enough to knock Zebstrika out.

"Zebstrika is unable to battle!" Declared the announcer. "Lucario wins, which means the victor is the challenger: Ryan!"

With that, the spectators erupted into wild cheering and clapping.

"YES! Great job, buddy!" Ryan yelled happily, sharing a high five with Lucario.

"You were amazing out there, Zebstrika. Take a nice long rest". Elesa said to her Pokémon, withdrawing it into its ball.

She then approached Ryan.

"Ryan, that was possibly the best battle that I've ever had from a challenger for some time. I'd heard good things about you coming in to this, but your performance here today was even better than I thought it was. It is my pleasure and privilege to give to you your own bolt badge". She said as she handed Ryan the badge.

Ryan shook Elesa's hand, thanking her, before holding the badge up for everyone to see before he placed it in his badge case.

"Now, come. Walk with us".

Ryan, Wartortle, Lucario and Elesa then walked back down the catwalk, tailed by more models and waving to the spectators.

"Now then, I guess then next thing for you to do would be to take on Clay at Driftveil City. My advice to you would be to stock up on Pokémon that are strong against Ground Type Pokémon, but you might just be able to smoke his entire team with just your Wartortle if you play your cards right".

"I will. Thank you".

With that, Ryan then stepped through the doors to the gym, where he shared high fives all around with his friends.

* * *

Before they headed off to Driftveil City, the trio of trainers stopped back at the Pokémon center, so Ryan could heal his Pokémon.

"So, have you considered your strategy for when you battle the Miner King?" Asked Jason.

"Well...Wait. Miner King?"

"That's the nickname people give Clay".

"Oh. Okay. Well I know I'll be taking Wartortle into battle, but aside from that, I have no idea which ones to take".

As Ryan said this, he noticed a man reading a newspaper not too far away. He couldn't make out most of the words on the paper, but he could see the words " _Mossdeep Siege_ ".

Ryan then thought of something.

He then went up to the counter.

"Excuse me Ma'am?" He asked the nurse "Can I please make a call to the Mossdeep City Pokémon Centre?"

Before long, Ryan was sitting at one of the centre's computers, waiting for the person on the other end to pick up.

At long last, May answered.

"Oh hey, Ryan! How are you doing?"

"Fine thanks. How are you and Brendan doing?"

Brendan then sat down next to May.

"Fine thanks. So, how's your journey been going?"

"Well, since you two left, I've caught a Trapinch, met up with two of my old friends and we've just got back from defeating Elesa".

"Sounds like your journey has been going great".

"Indeed it has. How've things been in Mossdeep?

"Well, we made the slight mistake of underestimating Team Galactic. It turns out there was more of them than we anticipated. But still, we managed to sort them out in the end and retrieve the Griseous Orb. We're going to place it in storage until we feel it's safe".

"Oh, and there's something I've got to tell you two".

"Oh yeah? What might that be?"

"Well, this morning, Team Rocket attacked the battle subway".

"WHAT?! What would Team Rocket want in the Unova Region?"

"Well, it turns out they were trying to detonate a tech bomb in the underground. This would've meant that the whole of the Unova region would have been send into a temporary electronic blackout. Luckily, we managed to stop them, with the help of Ethan, Silver and Lyra".

"Thank god they were there".

"Something doesn't seem quite right, though. First Team Aqua show up, then Team Plasma show up alongside them, then Team Galactic attack the Mossdeep Space Centre, now Team Rocket in Nimbasa City. I get the feeling that they might be connected somehow".

"Hmm. We'd better look into this before it escalates".

"Besides, didn't Team Galactic say they wanted the Griseous orb?"

"Yes. Usually, if people want the Griseous orb, Giratina is often involved".

"Exactly. Also, what about the Adamant and Lustrous orbs? Personally, I've got the feeling that Team Galactic may be after those as well".

"We'd definitely better look into this. Thankfully, the other two orbs are now in storage at the Eterna City Museum, but we'll keep an eye out for anything happening in that area. In the meantime, good luck at your next gym battle".

"Thanks. I'd better get going. Driftveil City awaits. Goodbye".

"Yeah. Goodbye".

With that, the call ended.

"I take it things are going well for them, then" Jason said as Ryan returned to his friends.

"Pretty much. Everything's been sorted out on their end and they have the Griseous Orb once again."

"Did you tell them about Team Rocket?"

"Yep and they were as surprised as we were when they showed up. They seem to reckon that all these things that have been happening both here and at Mossdeep City are connected somehow".

"Would be an enormous coincidence if it weren't".

"Yeah. Best not to think about it too much, though. It's been a long day, so far."

"I hear that. I mean, Team Rocket attacked and you battled Elesa. I don't think there are many people who can say they've done that".

Ryan then thought of something.

"Speaking of today, do you know what the date is? I forgot to check this morning".

Jason checked the date on his watch.

"August 16th. Why do you ask?"

In that brief moment, a whole flood of emotions hit Ryan like a tidal wave.

"How the hell could I forget?"

"What? What is it?"

"You said the date was August 16th right?"

"Yeah"

"August 16th is my birthday. I'm 18 today".

"Wow. Erm...holy piss" Jason declared. "I-I'm sorry, man, I had no idea. After all this time, I guess I'd just forgotten".

"Same. Sorry"

Ryan shrugged.

"Hey, don't worry about it. You guys weren't the only ones to forget. Besides, I've not really been too bothered by birthdays as of late. Too me, I see it as just a number".

"Oh well. Happy birthday, anyway" Selina said to him as he and Jason embraced Ryan in a hug.

"I tell you what, when this thing is all over, how about we have a proper celebration? Cake, presents, the whole thing." Selina suggested.

"Sounds good to me. Thanks guys".

The trainers broke the hug.

"Now then, any ideas about what we do now?"

"If I remember correctly, the tourist guide said it should take us about an hour to reach Driftveil City on foot."

"Here's an idea: we just take it easy here for a short while, go out and find a nice place to eat. We can then head over there once we're done here".

"Sounds good to me. What time is it?"

Jason checked his watch again.

"Just coming up to 3:30"

"I say stick with that idea, then. We should reach Driftveil City before sundown".

"Huzzah".

"Can't argue with that"

"Alrighty then. Let's hit the town!"


	10. Landslide

The team arrived in Driftveil City with Ryan eager to get his fifth gym badge.

However, Ryan also carried a sense of worry with him as well. He remembered that his last gym battle with Elesa had been televised, which meant that maybe Lucy could've seen it, meaning she may have an idea of where he may be, so he seriously had to keep his wits about him, since he didn't know when Lucy would catch up to him.

Thankfully, a night at the Driftveil City Pokémon centre was enough to help him and his Pokémon to relax and allow them to psych up in preparation for the battle.

The following morning, he and his friends woke up, got dressed and had their breakfast before heading out to the Driftveil City gym, so Ryan could take on Clay, the Miner King.

Admittedly, Ryan still wasn't too sure of a strategy, but he knew his best chance of success was with Wartortle.

As the trio of trainers stepped through the doors of the gym, they found a mineshaft elevator waiting for them.

"Let's do this" Ryan said in an epic fashion as he and his friends stepped onto it.

He pushed the button.

Nothing.

Ryan, obviously confused as to why the lift wasn't working, pressed the button again.

Nothing.

Growing agitated, he pressed it a few more times.

Still nothing.

"It must be stuck" Jason said to the others.

"Well, either that or Clay isn't here at the moment" Selina interjected.

"What makes you say that?"

Selina pointed towards a note stuck to one of the doors, one which they'd failed to notice coming into the gym.

The trio read the note.

_Dear Trainers,_

_Sorry to say that the gym is closed at the moment, as I'm currently competing in the Unova Leaders Tournament today. Trainer battles will continue once the tournament is over._

_Sorry for any inconvenience._

_Clay_

"Damn it! That's twice"

"Well, at least he left a note"

"Hmm. Unova Leaders tournament. Where might that be held?"

"If I remember this correctly, there is a giant indoor stadium just down the road where they hold all the tournaments in the Unova Region. In fact, the entire world goes there to see the best trainers battle it out in different tournamants".

"Sounds interesting. How about we check it out?"

"Sounds like a good idea to me".

* * *

As the team arrived at the Pokémon World tournament stadium complex, they found that the Unova Leaders tournament was more popular than they thought.

Everywhere they looked, the place was bustling with people.

Also, people who couldn't get a place in the stadium were watching the tournament unfold on various large screens.

As the trio stepped into the stadium lobby, they found more of the same.

The spectators were busy watching the final match of the Unova Leaders tournament unfold: Cheren VS Drayden. Cheren was battling with a Stoutland, whilst Drayden was battling with a Druddigon.

Drayden was on the verge of winning, but Cheren wasn't giving up easily.

The sounds of cheering could be heard from the arena.

As the trio watched the battle unfold, they heard a voice calling out to Ryan.

They looked in the direction from where the voice came from.

It was Roxie, standing at the entrance to the VIP section.

The trio went over to her.

"It's great to see you again, Ryan" The Virbank City gym leader said happily. "I've been hearing so many great things about your battles. I take it that you went to Driftveil City to challenge Clay, but he wasn't there, so you came here to see if you could find him."

"Precisely"

Roxie then noticed Ryan's friends.

"Who are you two?"

"Oh, these two are old friends of mine: Jason and Selina. Brendan and May needed to head back to the Hoenn Region on an urgent mission. I actually bumped into these guys on the way to Nimbasa City".

"Hi"

"Hello"

"Oh, okay. Cool. Hi guys. Hey, how would you guys like to watch the rest of the battle in the VIP hospitality box? There are a few people in there who would quite like to meet you".

"Sounds good to us".

"Alright then. Let's go!"

The group then headed up a group of stairs and towards the VIP box.

A security guard attempted to stop Ryan and his friends from entering, but Roxie reassured him that they were with her.

As they entered the box, they could easily see why there was heavy security.

Inside this hospitality box were gym leaders from all over the world, including the likes of Gardenia and Sabrina, spectating the battle in comfy recliner chairs whilst eating luxurious food.

At this point, Burgh, who had been eliminated in one of the earlier rounds of the tournament, noticed Ryan and his friends.

"Ah! Ryan! It's great to see you again. Congrats on beating Elesa" He said, getting out of his chair and shaking Ryan's hand.

This then attracted the attention of the other gym leaders, to which they then went over to meet Ryan and his friends.

"Oh hey guys! Fancy seeing you here!" Said Elesa.

"Clay, Skyla, Marlon, take a good look for this young trainer will be challenging all of you and Drayden very soon. Be warned, Ryan is one hell of a fighter" Roxie told the other gym leaders.

Ryan stared up at his next Gym Battle opponent: The massive, Stetson wearing leader of the Driftveil City Gym, Clay.

"So, yer the trainer people have been talkin' about, huh. I'm Clay. I'm the Gym Leader 'round these parts. Don't be expectin' no easy fight. I'm not called The Miner King for nothin'" Clay said to him.

"Miner King or not, my Pokémon and I are still going to be going all out. " replied Ryan confidently.

"Ooh! That's proper fighting talk. I like that." Skyla commented.

This particular comment made Ryan blush a little bit.

"Why don't you three take a seat?" Sabrina asked the trio. "We can watch the rest of the battle".

The three trainers then took three empty seats between Skyla and Gardenia and watched the match with the gym leaders.

Ryan had the virtue of getting the seat right next to Skyla.

Ryan soon found himself in conversation with the Mistralton City Gym Leader.

"So tell me about yourself, Ryan." Skyla said to him as they watched the battle. "When did you decided to take on the Unova League?"

"Well, I'd actually decided a few years ago that I'd like to try and take on the League. This mainly comes from watching so many League battles on the TV whilst growing up. However, I wasn't allowed to leave home as early as most young trainers, but I was allowed to have my first Pokémon before then, so I asked for a Squirtle on my 14th birthday and, well, the rest is pretty much history" Ryan said, indicating to Wartortle, who was sitting next to Ryan's seat, watching the battle.

"So why exactly weren't you allowed to leave home early?"

"Well, my parents feared that if I left when I was younger, I'd end up making quite a lot of bad mistakes on my journey, so they kept me at home to make sure that I the chance of making a terrible adventure decision was minimal. To be perfectly honest, I thank them for doing that. In my opinion, I doubt I would've done this well if I started when I was younger."

He sighed.

"However, I definitely can't thank them for what they were planning to put me through".

"What were they planning?"

"Well, two years ago, I'd made an agreement with my parents to get married before I went out on my adventure, so as to secure my long term future. They set me up with a girl called Lucy. Now, to begin with, she was actually really sweet. However, once our wedding had been announced, she became more controlling and possessive of me. But worst of all, she wanted me to get rid of my Squirtle in favour of a Piplup. I tried to bargain with my parents, but they was nothing they could do. So, we opted to run away on the eve of the wedding and start our adventure early".

Skyla had a look of utter shock on her face.

"That's horrible! You poor thing. I don't blame you. If I was in your shoes, I would've run off as well".

The other gym leaders had heard and all nodded their heads in unison.

"Don't worry about me, Skyla" Ryan said reassuringly. "Ever since that night, I've never looked back. My friends and I have been travelling fast, winning one gym badge before quickly continuing on to the next battle, always knowing that Lucy and my parents are in hot pursuit of us. But you know what, I sincerely doubt that's going to stop me anytime soon. But enough about me. Tell me about yourself. What was your first Pokémon?"

"Well, the first Pokémon I ever remember encountering was a cute little Pidgey that my dad picked up on his travels in the Kanto Region. I guess this is what ignited my interest in Flying Type Pokémon. The first Pokémon I ever actually got was a Ducklett, which I still battle with at the gym as a fully evolved Swanna. I have a huge amount of trust for my Pokémon as they do for me, but I've always had the best relationship with Swanna".

"I don't find that surprising. I heard that trainers that have a great relationship with their Pokémon often have the best relationship with their first one".

"Yeah. But still, It can still get quite lonely working at the Mistralton Gym. I've never had many chances to go places and meet people. That's the unfortunate burden of being a gym leader, I suppose. But still, I'm hoping to retire from being a gym leader eventually. Perhaps I'll settle down with someone and have a kid who can pick up where I left off".

"Sure. Do whatever you want to do. Just make sure you end up with the right guy. Speaking of which, what kind of guy would float your boat?"

"Well, I honestly don't know. Perhaps someone like you, Ryan".

Ryan began blushing again.

"Is she coming on to me?" He thought to himself.

As they continued chatting, Ryan found himself getting lost in Skyla's bright blue eyes.

Every once in a while, they'd stop their conversation to continue watching the battle. However, during some of these moments, Ryan would soon find himself peering over at Skyla. His eyes would then trail down from her beautiful face and along her alluring figure.

If he thought Lucy was pretty, then Skyla was the best damn thing he'd ever seen.

He soon found himself blushing again.

On the battlefield below, Cheren's Stoutland was still fighting hard against Drayden's Druddigon.

" **Now, Stoutland! Use Wild Charge!** "

The Stoutland then began charging towards the Druddigon, surrounding itself with electricity.

" **Druddigon! Finish this with Sucker Punch!** "

Druddigon then launched a powerful Sucker Punch attack, striking Stoutland hard across the face and intercepting the Wild Charge attack.

This proved more than enough to knock it out.

"Stoutland is unable to battle" The Referee called out. "Druddigon wins, which means the victor is Drayden!"

As the crowd began clapping and cheering, Cheren and Drayden returned their Pokémon to their balls and shook hands with each other in the middle of the field.

"And now, the Unova Champion will present Drayden, the tournament winner, with his trophy" Declared the announcer.

On cue, Nate, the reigning Unova League Champion stepped out of a seat in the front row and walked onto the battlefield, carrying a large trophy.

As Nate handed the trophy to Drayden, shaking his hand, the cheering of the crowd became even louder.

* * *

The trio of trainers soon found themselves standing in the stadium's main atrium, with the large group of Gym leaders, waiting to congratulate the two combatents.

As they stepped out of the main stadium and into the atrium, the other gym leaders then encircled the two, congratulating them on the great battle they just had.

Cheren then recognised Ryan.

"Oh hey, Ryan!" He said, shaking his hand "It's felt like ages since I last saw you. I've been hearing great things about your journey, so I had to see how you were doing".

He then noticed Jason and Selina.

"Ah. I see Brendan and May headed back to the Hoenn Region"

"They did indeed. These guys are my old friends. Jason and Selina".

Drayden then walked up to the group.

"Drayden, these are Ryan, Jason and Selina".

"Mr Drayden, it's an honour to meet you" Ryan said, holding his hand out for Drayden to shake.

"Likewise, young trainer" The burly mayor of Opelucid City replied, shaking Ryan's hand and almost crushing it with his vice like grip.

"Er. N-nice grip" Ryan whimpered, nursing his hand.

"Now then, ah believe you were wanted to challenge yours truly" Clay said to Ryan.

"Oh yes. I did"

"Well, what are y'all waiting for? Are we battlin' or not?"

"Yes. Yes we are".

"Alrighty then. In that case, we'd better be heading back to Driftveil City"

"Hey, how about we come to watch as well?" Cheren asked the other gym leaders. "It's probably been a while since we've seen another gym leader do battle with a challenger. Besides, he'll be challenging some of us very soon, so it'll allow us to see how he battles".

The Gym leaders agreed to this.

"Did someone say battle?" Said a voice from afar.

They group looked in the direction of the voice.

Nate was standing before them.

He then noticed Ryan and walked up to him.

Ryan's face was one of utter shock and awe. Right here, right now, the Unova Region Champion was standing before him.

"So, you're that Ryan kid that I've heard good things about" Nate said, holding out his hand.

Ryan, still in shock, shook his hand.

"Good sir, let me just say that it's a great honour to meet you" Ryan eventually brought himself to say. "By the way, these guys are my friends, Jason and Selina"

Ryan motioned to his friends.

"Ah! Hello there". Nate said to Ryan's friends, shaking their hands.

"Hi!"

"Hello".

"Anyway, we were actually just about to head off back to the Driftveil City Gym, as Ryan was here to battle Clay" Cheren said to Nate.

Nate sighed happily.

"God, it feels like only yesterday that I was challenging Clay. How about I come with? Besides, I'm expecting Ryan to be at the Unova League soon, so I'd better see how he battles".

Ryan was amazed. The Unova League Champion wanted to see _him_ battle.

"Sure. Go ahead" Clay said to the Champion.

"Alright then. Let's go!"

The large group of trainers then left the World tournament Stadium and headed off back to Driftveil City.

* * *

It wasn't too long before the group were deep within the mines of the Driftveil City Gym, waiting for the battle to commence.

Ryan and his Wartortle were stood at one end of the battlefield that was sketched into the rock, whilst Clay stood at the other end, with one of the miners acting as referee for the match.

"Okay, I'm ready" Ryan said to Clay.

"Alrighty then" The Gym Leader replied, producing a pokeball " **Krokorok! Go!** "

Ryan looked down at Wartortle.

"Go for it, buddy"

"Tortle!" The turtle pokemon replied happily, running on to the other end of the field.

"Okay, Wartortle, I'm going to hang back and let you decide how this battle plays out" Ryan said to Wartortle. "Since his pokemon are all Ground Type, they'll be weak against Water Type, so you'll have the advantage. Just try and win this thing".

Wartortle nodded.

" **Alright Krokorok! Use Crunch!** "

Krokorok then launched itself at Wartortle, teeth fully bared.

Wartortle, anticipating an attack like this, leapt into the air before landing a powerful Aqua Tail attack in the back of Krokorok's head, dealing massive damage.

Whilst this wasn't enough to knock Krokorok out, the following Water Gun attack from Wartortle was.

"Krokorok is unable to battle. Wartortle wins!" Declared the miner.

"Yes! Great job so far, Wartortle!" Ryan said to his partner.

"Well, that was quicker than expected" commented Marlon.

"Yes, but it's only Clay's first pokemon" Added Drayden. "Wait until he gets to Excadrill".

Clay withdrew his Krokorok.

"You did good, partner. Take a nice long rest" He said before taking out his second pokeball.

"Well, you did well against Krokorok, but lets just see how well you do against my next pokemon" He said to Ryan " **Go! Sandslash!** "

"Okay, same as before. Just remember to avoid the spines" Ryan said to his friend.

" **Sandslash! Crush Claw!** "

Sandslash rushed Wartortle, with its claws glowing white.

Wartortle responded to this by dodging out of the way.

Each time Sandslash attacked with its claws, Wartortle dodged out of the way. In fact, this continued until Sandslash finally managed to land a hit on it.

Whilst this did sent Wartortle flying into the air, it managed to balance itself out and land on its feet, before responding with a Water Pulse attack.

Just as Wartortle did when Sandslash first attacked, Sandslash dodged out of the way of the attack.

Each time Wartortle launched a Water Pulse, Sandslash leapt out of the way.

However, on the fourth time Sandslash dodged away from a Water Pulse, Wartortle caught it off guard with a sudden Water Gun attack, dealing a massive amount of damage to it.

Wartortle then finished things off by landing an Aqua Tail attack, sending Sandslash flying into a nearby stalagmite, knocking it out.

"Sandslash is unable to battle. Wartortle wins again!" The miner declared.

The spectators greeted with news by applauding Ryan and Wartortle.

"Great job once again, buddy" Ryan said happily to his friend.

"You did as good as you could, Sandslash. Take a break" Clay said to the fainted Sandslash as he returned it to its pokeball.

He then produced his third and final pokeball.

"I've saved the best for last. **Excadrill! Go!** "

"Okay, go harder than before. This is his strongest pokemon" Ryan said to Wartortle.

" **Excadrill! Use Rock Slide!** "

As rocks began falling out of the ceiling, caused by Excadrill releasing a white energy, Wartortle quickly rolled out of the way, before launching a Water Gun in retaliation.

Excadrill tried again, but the outcome was the same.

Wartortle then began charging towards the Excadrill.

Excadrill lunged at Wartortle with a powerful Slash attack, but Wartortle simply flipped into the air, leaving Excadrill wide open.

Then, Wartortle launched another Water Pulse, striking Excadrill on the head and causing massive damage. Wartortle then struck Excadrill on the head again, this time with an Aqua Tail attack, before landing right in front of it. For a short while, Excadrill stood motionless, before finally crashing to the ground, unconscious.

"Excadrill is unable to battle. Wartortle wins again, which means the victor is the challenger: Ryan!"

This was greeted by the sounds of cheering and applause from the audience.

"Yes! Amazing job Wartortle! You did it!" Ryan called out, elated.

"Tortle Tortle!" Replied Wartortle as he rushed up to Ryan and the two embraced.

Clay withdrew Excadrill into its ball and approached the pair.

"Well. So that's what all the hubbub was about, then. Seems they were right about you"

Clay reached into his pocket and pulled out a Quake Badge.

"As the Driftveil City Gym Leader, it's mah honour to give you yer own Quake Badge".

"Sweet! Thanks Clay!" Ryan replied, pocketing the badge and shaking Clay's hand.

Jason, Selina and the others then came onto the battlefield and began congratulating Ryan on his victory.

"Okay, now that was brilliant!" Cheren told him "You were good when you fought me, but what just happened was amazing. That may have been the quickest anyone has ever beaten Clay. It seems that you've raised your Wartortle exceptionally".

"I agree with Cheren" Nate added. "Hell, not even I beat Clay that fast. You made it all look so easy".

"Now then, I guess the next thing for you to do would be to head on up to Mistralton City to challenge Skyla" Burgh interjected.

"Yes. I'll definitely do that very soon" Ryan replied.

Nate pondered for a moment.

"Say, Ryan, I was just wondering, have you heard of the Driftveil Tournament?" He asked.

"I'm aware of it"

"Well, since the tournament is taking place tomorrow, why don't you sign up? It'll allow you to gain some vital experience ahead of your next Gym Battle".

Ryan thought about this for a moment.

"Sounds good to me"

"Hey, how about Jason and I enter as well?" Selina piped up. "We could just participate for the sheer hell of it".

"That sounds great"

* * *

As the evening drew in, the group found themselves stepping out of the Pokemon Centre to say their goodbyes.

"You've got a roaring fire of determination and spirit, young Ryan" Drayden said to him. "It would be a great pleasure to battle against you in the near future".

"Same here, bro" Marlon added

"Don't worry. That will indeed happen" Ryan replied.

Just then, something pinched Ryan's butt, causing him to yelp in surprise.

It was Skyla.

"That was a great battle you had out there, Ryan" she said "I'll be waiting for your challenge when you arrive in Mistralton City".

She then leaned in until she was almost touching Ryan's left ear.

"And if you do brilliantly, you might get more than just a Gym Badge" She whispered seductively, gently giving a stroke to the other side of Ryan's head.

This caused him to begin blushing like mad.

Skyla giggled softly.

"You're so cute when you blush like that" She said. "Hey, good luck in the tournament tomorrow. See you!"

With that, she headed off along Route 6 with Drayden and Marlon, briefly stopping to give Ryan a cheeky wink.

Elesa chuckled, shaking her head.

"That Skyla. She's always had a certain way with men. Sometimes, she's even had more men fawning over her than I've had. Anyway I hope things go well for you three in the tournament tomorrow. See ya!"

She, Burgh, Roxie and Cheren then headed off towards the Driftveil Drawbridge, waving goodbye.

This only left Ryan, Jason, Selina, Wartortle and Nate, with Ryan still staring off in Skyla's direction, blushing madly.

"I think she likes you, Ryan" Jason said to him.

No reply.

"Uh, Ryan? Are you alright?" Asked Nate.

No reply.

"Ryan, you in there?" Selina asked, giving Ryan a small poke.

Still no reply.

Just then, Ryan then fell backwards onto the ground.

As the others looked down at him, he just laid there drooling like an idiot.

You could almost see the love hearts floating around his head.

* * *

"Skyla, are you really sure about him? You do realize that you've probably got a couple of years on him already"

"So what? It can't be more than just a year or two difference. Besides, the whole idea of "the prettiest girl going with the prettiest guy" is BS and you know it"

"Yeah, I guess I can give you that. Especially considering the last three guys you were linked with. Some of the guys I've met haven't been much better either. Anyway, we're getting off topic. What exactly do you see in Ryan that isn't present with any of the other guys you've met?"

"Well...honestly, it's a whole bunch of things. He comes across as just the nicest person. He's quiet, and courteous. As far as I can tell, he has a good head on his shoulders and he cares deeply for his Pokemon."

"...and he has a psychotic fiancée, which we don't know exists or not."

"Oh, don't be like that. He's telling the truth, I know it. You and I have met enough guys in our lives to tell when someone's lying".

"Good point. Even so, he could either be A) a very good actor or B) actually telling the truth."

"Maybe, but I'm not getting that sort of vibe from him".

"Yeah, I'll give you that. Even so, you can never be too certain. Just promise me one thing, alright?"

"What?"

"When Ryan gets to you...try to avoid doing anything I wouldn't do".

"I have _no idea_ what you're talking about. Why would you _ever_ -"

"Quit the sarcasm, Skyla. You know what I'm talking about. In the space of a couple of minutes, you pinched him on the butt before whispering in his ear, and I quote, "if you do brilliantly, you might get more than just a Gym Badge" while stroking the side of his head. Finally, as you were leaving, you went and winked at him. Poor Ryan looked like he was about to pass out".

"Yeah, I know, but he's just so adorable when he blushes like that. I just want to pick him up and give him some loving".

Elesa sighed.

"You know what? Clearly, you're intent on going through with this. I'm just going to hang up now. Just keep in mind that if anything bad happens, it's on your hands".

"Oh, I'll be fine. Love you, Ellie!"

_*Click*_


	11. 16 to 1

Ryan had witnessed quite a few dreams in his lifetime.

Quite a few of which made him question just what went on in his head.

But as Ryan slept, he witnessed the kind of dream pretty much every boy his age wanted, but only a few ever got.

As Ryan's dream began, he found himself sitting in a deck chair, the only one on a large white sandy beach, wearing nothing but a pair of swimming trunks.

The bright blue sky above him had not a single cloud spoiling the view.

The beautiful sight before him wasn't particularly new to him. He and his family had been to places like this before.

But then, he saw something that made it all better.

Out of the water, came a young, red headed female, with a beautiful face and an hourglass figure, with legs that seemed to go on forever, clad in a small blue bikini.

Skyla was slowly, seductively strutting out of the water towards him, with a sexy sway of the hips in her motion.

Ryan felt his face heat up again.

If seeing Skyla at the tournament had been the best thing he'd ever seen in his life, then this was the best thing he'd ever seen in several thousand lives.

Ryan's toes dug into the sand as he tried to keep himself calm.

Skyla looked up at Ryan, their eyes meeting.

She gave him a seductive wink, licking her lips.

Ryan whimpered, squirming with delight.

"Keep calm, keep calm, keep calm..." he thought.

However, as his line of sight returned to Skyla, he found her seductively crawling like a cat along the sand, causing him to squirm even more.

Finally, as Skyla reached the young trainer she slowly leaned over him, moving her arms round him before finally planting a long, passionate kiss on Ryan's lips.

As the two parted lips, they held their heads close to each other, panting slightly.

"Ryan..." she sighed.

Her voice sent a chill down his spine.

"Ryan..." she sighed again.

"Y-Yes, Skyla?" he asked nervously.

"Time to wake up..."

"Wait, what?"

Just then, the entire dream dissolved back into reality, as the young trainer found himself lying in a bed at the Driftveil City Pokémon centre in his pyjamas, with Jason, Selina, Wartortle and Nate looking over him.

"Ah, the lovebird has finally awoken" Selina said to the others. "How are you doing, Ryan?"

Ryan sat up, rubbing his head.

"Can't you let me sleep for at least another 10 minutes?" he groaned. "I was having the best dream ever".

Even now, he could still hear Skyla's luscious, angelic voice in his ear.

Quite frankly, he'd never heard anything as amazing as that before and he hoped that wasn't the last time he'd hear it.

"Your dreams of Skyla are going to have to wait, my friend" Jason had said to him "Right now, we've got to go and sign up for the Driftveil Tournament".

Once Ryan was up and dressed, the quartet of trainers headed for the World Tournament Stadium Complex, where Ryan, Jason and Selina soon found themselves filling out their entry forms and picking which Pokémon to enter in the tournament.

For Jason and Selina, it was easy because they could just enter the three Pokémon they had on them, but for Ryan, things were a bit harder, solely because he had five great Pokémon. Almost immediately, he knew that he'd enter Wartortle into the tournament.

"I think I'd better go for a diverse team" He said to himself, deciding to add Growlithe to his tournament line-up.

This left him with one empty spot left. Seeing as he didn't have a Grass-Type Pokémon with him, this complicated matters for him.

Eventually, he just shrugged his shoulders and signed his Pachirisu into the final slot.

The trio then handed in their entry forms and waited for the tournament to get underway.

"The expanded entry total should hopefully spice the tournament up a little bit" Nate said to them.

Before long, spectators began filing in through the main complex doors and into the stadium.

However, amongst the crowd of spectators, Ryan spotted something that made his blood run cold.

Lucy was in the crowd.

Without thinking twice, Ryan dived into the male toilets, constantly murmuring "Crap! Crap! Crap!"

Once the crowd had moved on, he poked his head round the door.

"Is she gone?" He whispered to his friends.

"Let me guess: you saw Lucy in that crowd" Nate said to Ryan.

"Precisely...Wait how did you know about Lucy?"

"Jason and Selina filled me in whilst you were sleeping. Don't worry, she's gone".

"If she's here, my parents won't be too far behind, which suggests they probably plan to catch me after the tournament"

"Don't worry about them. If they try to get to you, I'll hold them off and allow you and your friends to escape".

"Sweet. Thanks".

After a few more minutes of waiting in the atrium with the other trainers, the voice of the tournament announcer came over the sound system.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to the 4th annual Driftveil Tournament. As this tournament is slowly gaining in popularity, there has been a slight tweak to the rules, allowing sixteen trainers to enter instead of eight originally. Anyway, the trainers have been entered. The first round is about to commence. In this round, the trainers will battle against one opponent, randomly chosen from the list of entrants. The winner of each match will progress to the Quarter Finals".

Just then, the screen changed to show the sixteen trainers and their matches for the first round.

They were as followed:

_Grant Vs Macy_

_Joey Vs Adam_

_Louisa Vs Ryan_

_Jenny Vs Sarah_

_Victor Vs Selina_

_Preston Vs Quentin_

_Daniel Vs Natalya_

_Christopher Vs Jason_

Grant and Macy then headed out into the main stadium, where they were greeted by the cheering crowds.

They duo took their places at opposite ends of the battlefield.

"Now, let the battle commence!" Yelled the announcer.

As the first battle got underway, Ryan and his friends kept a close watch on their opponents, watching every move made by their Pokémon and allowing them to make a good profile of their possible opponents.

The first battle was fought ferociously, but ended with Macy making it through to the Quarter Finals, thanks to her Spheal taking out Grant's Tyrogue.

In the second battle, Joey took an easy win after wiping out Adam's entire team with just his Raticate.

As Joey and Adam walked off the battlefield, Ryan took a deep breath before stepping through the doors with Louisa and Wartortle, greeted by more cheering from the crowd.

As Louisa took to her end of the battlefield, Ryan and Wartortle took to theirs.

The referee, stood at the side of the battlefield, then held a coin out, placed on his thumb.

"Ryan, your call. Heads or Tails?"

"Heads"

He flipped the coin into the air before catching it and placing it on his palm before revealing the result.

Tails.

"Louisa gets the first attack!" Yelled out the referee.

Whilst Louisa was happy about this, Ryan just shrugged this off as a minor setback.

Louisa then went for her first pokeball

" **Go! Liepard** "

"Wartortle, go for it!" Ryan said to his friend.

Wartortle got into position on the field.

The young girl was immediately on the attack.

" **Liepard! Use Pursuit!** "

The Liepard charged towards Wartortle, launching it's Pursuit attack.

" **Wartortle! Aqua Tail!** "

Wartortle then launched itself into the air before striking Liepard in the head with its Aqua Tail, intercepting the attack.

" **Now use Water Pulse!** "

Still in the air, Wartortle did a 360 degree spin before launching a Water Pulse, causing more damage to Liepard upon impact.

" **Water Gun!** "

Wartortle then launched a long jet of water out of it's mouth, causing even more damage.

As Wartortle landed back on its feet, Liepard fell over, unconscious.

"Liepard is unable to battle! Wartortle wins!" Declared the referee.

"Yeah! Great way to start Wartortle!" Ryan called out to his friend.

Louisa withdrew her Liepard before pulling out another pokeball.

"I'm not finished yet. **Go! Swinub!** "

As the pig Pokémon appeared on the battlefield, Ryan wastes no time in getting Wartortle to attack.

" **Now Wartortle! Use Water Pulse!** "

Rather quickly, Wartortle launched a powerful Water Pulse attack at the Swinub, dealing massive damage.

In fact, it caused Swinub so much damage, it was more than enough to knock it out and send it flying into the wall.

"Swinub is unable to battle! Wartortle wins again!" Declared the referee.

This was greeted by the sounds of cheering from the audience.

"WOW! Absolutely amazing! Swinub was out cold before it could even begin to make an attack!" Raved the one of the commentators.

"Well, people haven't been saying great things about this kid for nothing" The other added.

Louisa then withdrew Swinub and pulled out her final ball.

"Last one. **Chatot! Go!** "

At this point, Ryan had an idea.

"You've done good Wartortle. I think you deserve a break" he said to his friends.

"Wartortle!" His friend replied happily as he stepped off the battlefield.

Ryan then produced one of his pokeballs.

" **Pachirisu! Let's finish this!** "

However, Louisa then used this brief moment to launch Chatot's first attack.

" **Fury Attack!** "

But this was all part of Ryan's plan.

" **Electro Ball!** "

As Chatot rapidly closed in on Pachirisu, the Elesquirrel Pokémon launched a ball electricity at the Chatot, dealing massive damage.

Once again, this proved more than enough to knock out the opponent Pokemon on the first hit.

"Chatot is unable to battle! Pachirisu wins, which means the victor is Ryan!" The referee yelled.

The crowd greeted this news with more cheering.

"Unbelievable! Ryan has wiped out Louisa's entire team in no time at all. That is what you call a wipefest!" The commentator yelled out.

Louisa withdrew her unconscious Chatot into its ball and went over to Ryan.

"Well done Ryan. You fought hard. Good luck in the next round" She said, shaking his hand.

"Thanks". He replied happily.

The two trainers then headed back into the atrium, with Ryan congratulating his Pokémon for their first win of the tournament.

"Dude! That was brilliant! You finished off her team before she could land a hit!" Jason said, congratulating him.

"My thoughts exactly. You made it all look so easy" Nate added. "Hell, at this rate, you could end up winning the tournament".

"I wouldn't say that just yet" Ryan replied. "Besides, that was only my first battle. We'd better wait and see how the other battle go".

The following battle between Jenny and Sarah ended with the latter narrowly winning with her Chimecho, thus deciding Ryan's opponent for the following round.

"Ooh! This is all so exciting!" Selina cried out "I can't wait for my battle!"

"You won't have to wait much longer because you and Victor are up next" Jason pointed out "Good luck!"

Selina then eagerly headed out into the main arena, where she and victor were greeted by many cheers.

Selina and the collector then took their places at opposite ends of the field.

"Heads or tails?" The referee asked Victor

"Tails"

The referee then flipped the coin.

Heads.

"Selina gets the first move". He declared

The two trainers then went for their pokeballs.

" **Go! Froslass!** "

" **Go! Gligar!** "

"Well, since Ice Type attacks are four times more powerful against Gligar, this immediately puts me at an advantage" She thought to herself.

" **Froslass! Use Ice Shard!** "

Froslass then proceeded to hurl many small chunks of ice in the direction of the Gligar, causing hefty damage to it.

Much to the surprise of everyone, this proved more than enough to knock the Gligar out.

"Gligar is unable to battle. Froslass wins!" declared the referee.

As the crowd cheered, Selina just decided to go with it. She was now winning after all.

"GREAT SCOT! That was over quicker than anticipated" One of the commentators yelled.

Victor then withdrew his unconscious Gligar and went for his second pokeball.

" **Klink! Go!** "

Selina took a quick moment to think about her strategy.

Seeing as Klink was a Steel Type Pokémon, she decided to change her Pokémon.

"You've done good Froslass. **Return.** "

As she withdrew Froslass into its ball, she pulled out her second choice.

" **Delcatty! Go!** "

Victor took this moment to get Klink to attack.

" **Okay Klink! Use Thundershock!** "

Selina anticipated this, however.

" **Dodge it, then use Wake-up Slap!** "

As Delcatty began charging towards Klink, the Gear Pokémon launched a big bolt of electricity in retaliation. Delcatty, however, simply dodged out of the way and ran on.

As Delcatty reached Klink it unleashed its Wake-up Slap attack on it, causing considerable damage.

" **Good, now keep using Wake-up Slap!** "

Delcatty landed Wake-up Slap after Wake-up Slap, slowly whittling away Klink's HP.

Finally, Klink fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Klink is unable to battle! Delcatty wins!" Declared the referee.

This was greeted by more cheering from the crowd.

Victor had a worried look on his face as he withdrew his unconscious Klink and took out his final ball.

"It's all or nothing. **Herdier! Go!** "

Selina decided to get things quickly wrapped up.

" **Use Blizzard!** "

Delcatty then launched a strong blizzard in Herdier's direction, causing it damage before it could even move. It also managed to freeze Herdier solid.

" **Finish this up with Wild Charge!** "

Delcatty then proceeded to charge rapidly towards the frozen Herdier, surrounding its entire body with electricity. When it reached Herdier, it smashed through the ice and caused Herdier even more hefty damage.

In fact, this was more than enough to send the Herdier flying into the wall, unconscious.

"Herdier is unable to battle! Delcatty wins again, which means the victor is Selina!" Yelled the referee.

This was greeted by the sounds of applause from the crowd.

"OH MY WORD!" Yelled one of the commentators. "That was another complete wipefest, this time at the hands of Selina!"

Victor, gutted that he'd lost, withdrew Herdier into its ball and went over to Selina.

"Well done. You deserve this win" He said to her, shaking her hand.

"Sweet. Thanks"

The two trainers then headed back into the atrium, with Selina congratulating her Pokémon on their win.

"Bloody hell!" Ryan exclaimed, happily. "I knew you'd battle well, but not as well as you did! Good job!"

"Thanks. Now then, let's just see how the other battles go".

In the following battle, Preston narrowly beat out Quentin for a place in the Quarter Finals, thus confirming Selina's opponent for the next round.

After that, Natalya managed to destroy Daniel's team and took a place in the Quarter Finals.

This only left one more battle before the next round: Christopher Vs Jason.

As Jason and the Pokemaniac stepped out onto the battlefield, the roaring crowd greeted them.

As they both went to their ends of the battlefield, the referee readied his coin.

"Heads or tails?" He asked Jason.

"Tails"

The referee flipped the coin.

Tails.

The two trainers then went for their first balls.

" **Ariados!** "

" **Cacnea!** "

Jason knew immediately what to do when both the Pokémon appeared on the battlefield.

" **Ariados! Use String Shot!** "

The long leg Pokémon proceeded to shoot a long strand of sticky string at the Cacnea, making it an easy target for the rest of the battle.

" **Now use Venoshock!** "

Ariados then followed up the String Shot by spraying toxic fluid over the Cacnea, dealing a huge amount of damage.

" **X-Scissor!** "

Ariados then rapidly scuttled towards the injured Cacnea before raising its glowing front legs and bringing them down, causing even more damage and rendering it unconscious.

"Cacnea is unable to battle! Ariados wins!" Declared the referee.

The stadium erupted into more applause.

"And that's a great start to the battle for Jason!" Yelled out one of the commentators. "Can he and his Pokémon keep up this sort of form?"

Christopher withdrew his Cacnea and brought out his second ball.

" **Dunsparce! Go!** "

Jason sensed an opportunity here.

" **You've done good Ariados. Return!** "

As Ariados returned into its ball, Jason readied his second Pokémon.

" **Machoke! You're up!** "

Immediately, Jason and Machoke were on the attack.

" **Machoke! Seismic Toss!** "

Machoke then sprinted up to the Dunsparce before grabbing it with its massive arms and leaping into the air with it, where it then flung the Dunsparce heavily towards the ground.

Somehow, Dunsparce managed to hang on.

" **Finish this with Karate Chop!** "

As Machoke began rapidly falling towards Dunsparce, it readied one of its hands to perform a well executed karate chop.

" **Quick, Dunsparce! Use Dig!** "

Dunsparce then began quickly trying to bury itself inn the ground. However, it failed to move quick enough, as the Machoke brought its karate chop down on the head of the dunsparce, knocking it out on contact.

"Dunsparce is unable to battle! Machoke wins!" Declared the referee.

This was greeted by further cheering from the crowd.

"WOW! Machoke didn't even let Dunsparce get a look in! That's what I call a swift!" Another commentator said, excitedly.

Christopher withdrew Dunsparce before going for his final pokeball.

" **Go! Electrode!** "

"Okay, we're doing great so far, let's keep this up until the battle is over" Jason said to his Pokémon.

" **Electrode! Use Electro Ball!** "

The Electrode then launched a ball of electricity at the Machoke, but the Superpower Pokémon blocked it with one of its arms, causing minimal damage.

" **Now use Karate Chop!** "

Machoke retaliated by landing another precise Karate Chop dead centre on Electrode, causing significant damage to be dealt.

Christopher, realising that things would end with his defeat, decided his next and last course of action.

"Might as well finish this with a bang" He said to himself " **Electrode! Self destruct!** "

Electrode began to glow brightly.

Jason realised what was about to happen.

"HURRY! GET OUT OF THERE! ITS GOING TO BLOW!" Jason screamed frantically to Machoke.

Machoke tried to get out of the blast radius, but it was all to late as electrode released a massive explosion, engulfing the two Pokémon.

The crowd was stunned into silence.

As the smoke cleared, Electrode was lying on the battlefield, unconscious.

However, machoke had been launched across the battlefield and was lying at Jason's feet, face down, unconscious.

"Voltorb and Machoke are both unable to battle! However, since Christopher is out of usable Pokémon, the victor is Jason!"

The silent crowd then erupted into wild cheering and clapping.

"UNBELIEVABLE! THAT WAS AMAZING! THAT'S HOW EVERY MATCH SHOULD END!" One of the commentators raved.

The two trainers withdrew their unconscious Pokémon.

Christopher then met Jason in the middle of the battlefield.

"Well done" He said, shaking his hand. "You deserved it more than I did".

"Sweet. Thanks"

As they returned to the Atrium, Jason's friends congratulated him on his win.

"Well...I wasn't expecting that to happen" Ryan said, still shocked at what had just gone down. "Still, well done".

"Yeah. Oh well. At least all three of us made it through to the next round" Jason replied.

The competition then took a break for a couple of minutes to allow the trainers to heal their Pokémon.

Once they were done, the announcer came back.

"Okay, so with eight trainers gone, their are eight trainers still left. Congratulations for each one of you who've made it this far. But now things start to become challenging, as whilst four of you will be getting in to the Semi finals, the other four will be going home defeated. The matches for the Quarter finals are now up on screen".

They were as followed:

_Macy Vs Joey_

_Ryan Vs Sarah_

_Selina Vs Preston_

_Natalya Vs Jason_

As Macy and Joey headed out for their battle, the sound of the crowds greeted them. It was a hard fought battle, but ended rather quickly, with Joey's Raticate taking down Macy's entire team.

"I think we'd better watch out for that Raticate" Selina said to the others.

As Macy and Joey returned to the Atrium, Ryan and Sarah then headed out onto the battlefield with their rejuvenated Pokémon.

As they arrived their separate ends of the battlefield, the referee was ready to toss the coin.

"Heads of tails, Sarah?"

"Tails"

The referee flipped the coin. Heads.

"Wartortle, get in there" Ryan said to his friend.

As Wartortle ran on to the battlefield, the psychic went for her first pokeball.

" **Solosis! Go!** "

" **Wartortle! Aqua Tail!** "

Wartortle began charging towards Solosis.

" **Solosis! Use Psyshock!** "

Solosis then created three small blobs of psychic energy, before launching them at Wartortle.

However, the Turtle Pokémon saw this coming and just simply barrel rolled out of the way before continuing. Once Wartortle finally reached Solosis, it swung its tails round, like a baseball bat and whacked Solosis hard, sending it flying across the arena. Wartortle then followed this up with two more Aqua Tails, sending Solosis into the air and eventually slamming into the ground.

Much to the surprise of everyone, this was more than enough to knock Solosis out.

"Solosis is unable to battle. Wartortle wins!" Declared the referee.

The crowd greeted this with more cheering.

"Wow. Wartortle has gotten a lot stronger." Ryan thought to himself. "Could it be that my friend going to evolve very soon?"

As he thought this, Sarah withdrew her unconscious Solosis and brought out her second pokeball.

" **Go! Chimecho!** "

Ryan decided to keep going as he was.

" **Use Water Pulse!** "

" **Counter with Psywave!** "

As Wartortle launched a Water Pulse at the chimecho, it retaliated by launching a Psywave at the oncoming attack, cancelling it out.

Wartortle then dodged to the right before trying again, but the same outcome happened.

Just then, however, Wartortle had an idea. Quickly, it created a Water Pulse. However, instead of launching it directly towards Chimecho, Wartortle launched it directly into the air.

As the Water Pulse nearly reached the top of the stadium, it began to fall back down again. However, just as it was about to hit the ground, Wartortle used its tails like a baseball bat and hit the Water Pulse, sending it directly at Chimecho, this time with more power.

Chimecho didn't have enough time to use Psywave to counter, meaning that the Water Pulse could impact the Wind Chime Pokémon.

This proved enough to catch Chimecho off guard.

Wartortle then launched an array of Water Gun and Water Pulse attacks at the stunned Chimecho, before knocking it out with an Aqua Tail to the face.

"Chimecho is unable to battle! Wartortle wins again!" Declared the referee.

The crowd began cheering again.

"Okay, Wartortle has seriously gotten stronger!" Ryan thought to himself.

Sarah then withdrew her Chimecho and pulled out her final ball.

" **Baltoy! Go!** "

Immediately, Wartortle was on the attack.

" **Wartortle! Water Gun!** "

" **Baltoy! Extrasensory!** "

As Wartortle launched a long jet of water from its mouth, Baltoy countered with a beam of psychic energy, countering it. However, a little bit of the extrasensory attack managed to hit Wartortle, dealing a little bit of damage to it.

Wartortle then commando rolled to the right and tried again, but the same outcome occurred.

Then, Wartortle came up with another idea. Quickly, it launched a Water Pulse attack in the direction of Baltoy. However, it then used it's tails to spring into the air, launching three more Water Pulse attacks in the process.

Whilst Baltoy managed to intercept three of the attacks, it failed to intercept the final one, which crashed into the Clay Doll Pokémon, causing a huge amount of damage to be dealt.

Still flying through the air, Wartortle managed to land a few more Water Pulses onto Baltoy before finishing it off with a Water Gun to the back of the head.

As Wartortle touched down, Baltoy keeled over.

"Baltoy is unable to battle! Wartortle wins again, which means the victor is Ryan!" Yelled the referee.

"Well, it appears the fans were right. Ryan is indeed a force to be reckoned with. He might indeed go on to win the tournament. Now, though, he can taste the satisfaction, as he has made a place in the Semi Finals" One of the commentators said.

Ryan and Wartortle shared a high five on their latest victory.

As they shook hands with Sarah, they walked back to the atrium, listening to the sounds of the cheering crowds.

As the two walked off, Selina and Preston took their places on the battlefield, with Ryan and Selina giving each other a quick high five.

"Heads or tails, Selina?" Asked the referee.

"Tails"

The referee flipped the coin.

Heads.

The two trainers then went for their balls.

" **Go! Froslass!** "

" **Go! Marshtomp!** "

The two trainers took a moment to figure out what they were going to do.

" **Marshtomp! Use Mud Bomb!** "

The Marshtomp then proceeded to launch multiple small globules of mud from it's mouth.

" **Froslass! Use Ice shard!**

The Snow Land pokemon retaliated by launching dozens of ice shards, cancelling out the attack. A few of the ice shards managed to make contact with the Marshtomp, dealing damage to it.

" **Now use Shadow ball!** "

Froslass then created a huge black ball of energy before firing it at the Marshtomp, dealing even more damage and knocking back towards the side of the arena.

Surprisingly, when the smoke cleared, Marshtomp was unconscious.

Critical hit.

"Marshtomp is unable to battle. Froslass wins!" Declared the referee.

As the crowd cheered, Selina just shrugged her shoulders and went with it.

Preston then withdrew his unconscious Marshtomp before pulling out his second ball.

" **Go! Golduck!** "

Just then, Selina had an idea. Quickly, she whipped out a pokeball.

"You've done good, Froslass. Return!"

As Froslass returned to her ball, Selina pulled out a second pokeball.

" **Cinccino! Go for it!** "

Now that she and her Pokémon had gained an advantage, Selina decided to keep going the same way.

" **Golduck! Aqua Jet!** "

As golduck launched itself towards Cinccino, it surrounded its body in water.

But Selina had anticipated this.

" **Cinccino! Grass Knot!** "

Cinccino's eyes began to glow green. Then, two blades of grass came out of the floor near the opponent and joined together, causing Golduck to trip up and receive massive damage due to the type Disadvantage.

" **Now use Hyper Voice!** "

Cinccino then released a horribly echoing shout at the Golduck, causing even more damage.

Surprisingly, this was also more than enough to knock out the defending Pokémon.

"Golduck is unable to battle. Cinccino wins!" Declared the referee.

Once again, Selina just shrugged her shoulders happily and just went with it.

Preston withdrew the unconscious Golduck and pulled out his final pokeball.

" **Go! Kingler!** "

Selina reacted to this quickly.

"You did great Cinccino. Return!"

As Cinccino returned to its ball, Selina pulled out a different pokeball.

" **Go! Delcatty!** "

Selina decided to try and get this battle wrapped up as soon as possible.

" **Delcatty! Use Wild Charge!** "

" **Counter with Metal Claw, Kingler!** "

The two Pokémon then proceeded to charge at each other.

As they got close to each other, Kingler swung its claws at Delcatty, attempting to execute a Metal Claw attack. however, it did this a little too soon. As it swing its claws, this opened up a gap, which allowed Delcatty to rush in and strike with its Wild Charge attack, causing substantial damage. In fact, the damage was so substantial, it caused Kingler to go flying through the air before coming to a rest right in front of Preston, unconscious.

"Kingler is unable to battle. Delcatty wins, which means the victor is Selina!" Yelled the referee.

"And with that, Selina goes storming into the Semi Finals!" One of the commentators called out over the sounds of the roaring crowd.

"Thank you Delcatty. You were amazing. Return!"

As the duo returned their Pokémon, they headed back to the atrium, congratulating each other on the great battle they'd just had.

As they did this, Jason and Natalya walked onto the battlefield, Jason sharing a quick high five with Selina.

"Heads or tails, Natalya?" Called out the referee.

"Tails" Replied the young lass.

The referee flipped the coin.

Tails.

The two battlers then went for their pokeballs.

" **Go! Machoke!** "

" **Go! Cherrim!** "

The two took a moment to figure out what they were going to do.

" **Cherrim! Use Take Down!** "

Cherrim began charging towards Machoke.

" **Machoke! Use Karate Chop!** "

As Cherrim launched itself at Machoke, the superpower Pokémon simply connected it's hand with Cherrim's head, stopping it in its tracks and inflicting damage.

" **Use Vital Throw!** "

As Cherrim began to fall, Machoke then slammed into it before grabbing it and throwing it to the ground.

" **Finish this with Karate Chop!** "

Machoke then landed another chop to Cherrim as it fell, causing it to hit the ground harder.

This was more than enough to knock it out.

"Cherrim is unable to battle. Machoke wins!" Declared the referee.

"Great job out there, my friend!" Jason said happily to Machoke, giving his friend a high five. He almost instantly regretted this, considering how powerful a Machoke is.

As this was happening, Natalya withdrew her unconscious Cherrim and produced her second Pokémon.

" **Go! Bibarel!** "

Jason decided to go with the same strategy as before.

" **Use Karate Chop!** "

" **Use Hyper Fang!** "

The two Pokémon then launched themselves at each other. However, inevitably, Machoke struck Bibarel on the head with its Karate Chop, causing massive damage and intercepting Bibarel's attack.

" **Now use Seismic Toss!** "

Machoke then grabbed hold of Bibarel before leaping high into the air. The Superpower Pokémon then hurled its opponent into the ground, dealing a massive amount of damage.

Unsurprisingly, this was more than enough to knock out Bibarel.

"Bibarel is unable to battle. Machoke wins again!" Declared the referee.

"Fantastic job, Machoke!" Jason said to his Pokémon. "Just one more left and we're in the semi finals"

As he was saying this, Natalya withdrew her knocked out Bibarel and produced her final pokeball.

" **Tranquill! Go!"**

As Tranquill appeared on the battlefield, Jason had an idea.

"Take a nice long rest, buddy" Jason said to Machoke as he withdrew his friend into its ball.

He then produced another ball.

" **Go! Buizel!** "

There wasn't any real reason he chose to send out Buizel, he just decided to let Buizel stretch its legs.

" **Tranquill! Use Air Cutter!** "

Tranquill then proceeded to launch X Shaped energy towards Buizel with a strong flap of its wings.

" **Dodge it, then use Swift!** "

As the attack rapidly closed in, Buizel simply strafed out of the way, narrowly avoiding it before launching various small stars back at Tranquill.

As they impacted, they caused Tranquill considerable damage.

" **Now use Aqua Jet!** "

Buizel launched itself at the Tranquill, surrounding itself with water and causing further damage.

" **Finish this off with Water Gun!** "

Buizel then launched a jet of water from its mouth, causing even more damage to Tranquill.

Finally, Tranquill flopped to the ground, defeated.

"Tranquill is unable to battle. Buizel wins, which means the victor is Jason!" Yelled the referee.

"And with another brilliant win, Jason and his Pokémon now complete the Semi Final line-up!" Declared one of the commentators.

As the crowd cheered, Jason and Buizel waved to them.

Then, suddenly, a bright light covered Buizel.

Jason and the crowd were shocked into silence. Slowly, Buizel began to change shape, mainly getting taller.

Eventually, the light subsided.

Floatzel was standing before them.

The crowd then erupted in further cheering.

Jason just shrugged happily and went with it.

"Well, this tournament has had another twist in the tail: Jason, who is one of the main contenders to win it this year, has had his Buizel evolve into a fully fledged Floatzel!" One of the commentators yelled out.

Back in the atrium, the others saw everything unfold.

Ryan knew deep down that he was in for a tough fight for the rest of the tournament.

He smirked.

"I love a challenge" He thought to himself.

Once the Quarter finals had been wrapped up, the remaining four trainers, Ryan, Jason, Selina and Joey all got a short break to rest and heal up their Pokémon.

Most of the crowd had also left the stadium as well, to take their own break before the Semi Finals began.

As time went by, the crowd eventually began to fill up the seats.

Then, the commentators came over the intercoms again.

"Hello and welcome back to the Driftveil Tournament!" One of them declared. "Whilst tournaments in the past have all been great, this years' tournament is so far proving to be a real humdinger, with four strong trainers annihilating the competition. But first, here are their matches for the Semi Finals!"

The Semi Final matches them came up on screen.

_Joey Vs Ryan_

_Jason Vs Selina_

"Before we get our first battle underway, however, let us reintroduce our two battlers and analyse their strengths and weaknesses".

The screen changed to show footage of some of Ryan's previous battles.

"Unova League, take note. This kid is brilliant".

"After being brought to the Floccesy town Pokémon centre by the Hoenn League Champion, young Ryan and his Pokémon have been continuously impressing on their journey, acquiring gym badge after gym badge".

"Not only that, he's also a proven hero, helping to drive off Team Aqua, Team Plasma and Team Rocket on separate occasions".

"Needless to say, he's something special".

"His team for this tournament consist of a Wartortle, a Growlithe and a Pachirisu, all of which are apparently already well proven in combat".

"One thing that has to be noted about Ryan is his unconventional and unpredictable battling style. Often in matches, he has actually hung back and allowed his Pokémon to battle their own way. One other thing he's known to do is to take down an opponent's Pokémon before they've even had a chance to attack. He has also shown that he and his Pokémon can easily adapt to changing battle conditions".

"It's like he's been doing this for years!"

"There is no doubt that Ryan and his Pokémon are a force to be reckoned with. However, whilst their greatest strength is their attack power, it is also their greatest weakness. As they're best at attacking, Ryan's Pokémon are best suited in battle constantly moving and launching attacks. This has the potential to wear out his Pokémon quicker, allowing the opponent to land attacks. That being said, however, we have yet to see Ryan's Pokémon wearing out like this."

"It's with these things in mind that I personally tip Ryan to win. Not just this match, but the whole tournament".

"The way he's going, Ryan might even become the Unova League Champion".

Ryan felt proud at this comment.

The screen then changed to show footage of some of Joey's battles.

"Can somebody please tell me why this kid hasn't taken on the Indigo League?"

"Native to Cherrygrove City in the Johto region, Joey arrived on the shores of the Unova Region hoping to get lucky here today".

"Time and time again, people have told him to challenge the Indigo League. However, he has turned down the League Challenge each and every time, choosing instead to train with his beloved Pokémon, Raticate, which he claims is in the top percentage of Raticates".

"This has been successful, as he has smoked everyone he's battled against so far in the competition".

"There's no denying that Joey and his Raticate are powerful. However, they suffer from one major weakness. So far, Joey has pinned his entire hopes for the competition on this one Raticate. If that Raticate gets knocked out, Joey's essentially lost the entire tournament, due to his other two Pokémon, two Rattatas, being such lower in power".

"That is, _if_ they knock out that Raticate. From what I can tell, that Raticate has a Level that is rumoured to be above that of Pryce, the Mahogany Town Gym Leader. Now that's powerful!"

"Well, we'll find out how powerful he is soon. We'd best get this battle underway".

"Alright then. Ryan and Joey, the arena awaits!"

The two trainers then stepped onto the battlefield, greeted by the roaring crowd.

They then stood at their separate ends.

"Heads or Tails, Ryan" called out the referee.

"Heads"

The referee flipped the coin.

Heads.

"Go for it, Wartortle" Ryan said to his friend.

"Tortle!" wartortle replied, running onto the field.

Joey then went for his first pokeball.

" **Go! Raticate!** "

" **Okay Wartortle, use Water Pulse!** "

Wartortle did as asked and launched a ball of water at the Raticate

" **Raticate! Counter with Super Fang!** "

Joey's Raticate opened it's jaws, its front fangs glowing. As the ball of water flew towards it, Raticate then launched itself at the ball, biting down hard on it and destroying it.

" **Now Double Edge!** "

Raticate then racing towards Wartortle, surrounding itself with white energy.

Wartortle tried to counter this with another Water Pulse attack, but it failed to cause any significant damage to the Raticate upon impact.

" **Quick! Use Aqua Tail!** "

Wartortle quickly launched itself out of the way by springing up with its tail before striking the back of Raticate's head.

This also failed to cause any significant damage.

"Well, they were right about that Raticate being strong" Ryan thought to himself.

As he thought this, Raticate charged at Wartortle with another Double Edge attack. This time, however, Raticate managed to make contact with Wartortle, causing heavy damage to both the turtle Pokémon and the Raticate.

Whilst Wartortle was significantly damaged, it was still able to get back onto its feet.

"I think it would be best if you took a rest Wartortle!" Ryan called out to his friend. "Take a quick breather".

Wartortle agreed, scurrying around the battlefield until it Reached Ryan.

Ryan then pulled out a second pokeball.

" **Pachirisu! Go!**

As Pachirisu jumped out of its ball, Ryan wasted no time in retaliating.

" **Thunder wave!** "

Pachirisu then released bolts of yellow electricity from its body and directed this at the Raticate.

Whilst this didn't do any damage, this did manage to paralyse Raticate, which made sure that it wouldn't be able to avoid most of the attacks from Ryan's Pokémon.

" **Now use Electro Ball!** "

Pachirisu then launched a ball of electricity from its tail, dealing more damage to the Raticate.

" **Now use Swift!** "

Pachirisu then launched an array of stars at the Raticate, damaging it further.

" **Finally! Volt Tackle!** "

Pachirisu began racing towards the paralysed Raticate, surrounding itself with electricity. As it struck, it dealt Raticate even more damage, causing it to fly back a few feet.

For the first time, Raticate finally looked like it had taken damage.

"How is this Raticate so damn strong?" Ryan thought to himself.

As he thought this, Pachirisu winced in pain as it withstood the recoil damage from Volt Tackle.

This played directly into the hands of Joey and his Raticate. Suddenly, Raticate managed to break free from its paralysis temporarily. It then rushed towards the injured Pachirisu before landing a powerful Crunch attack.

This proved to be just about enough to knock out Ryan's Pokémon.

"Pachirisu is unable to battle! Raticate wins!" Declared the referee.

As the crowd cheered, Ryan withdrew his unconscious Pachirisu.

"You fought well, my friend. You deserve a rest" he said before producing his second pokeball.

" **Go! Growlithe!** "

The puppy Pokémon then appeared on the battlefield.

" **Now Growlithe! Use Flame Burst!** "

Growlithe then launched a long stream of fire from its mouth, causing a little bit of damage to the paralysed Raticate.

It began straining, trying to break free from its paralysis again.

" **Fire Fang!** "

Growlithe then flew at the Raticate with fire streaming from its mouth. As it bit down on the Raticate, it caused more damage. As Growlithe pulled away, it left Raticate with a burn.

Then, suddenly, Raticate broke out of its paralysis again.

As it flew towards the Growlithe, fangs bared, the puppy Pokémon retaliated with another Flame Burst attack. Whilst this did cause more damage, this failed to stop Raticate from attacking with Crunch.

Somehow, Growlithe managed to hold on.

" **Quick, counter attack with Reversal!** "

As Growlithe picked itself up again, it managed to launch a Reversal attack at the Raticate, causing a ridiculous amount of damage.

"Holy cow! That was a spectacular move by Ryan's Growlithe. That might have just turned the tide of the battle in his favour".

"You couldn't be more right, mate. Due to the nature of Reversal, it grows more powerful the less health the user has. Seeing as Growlithe took a nasty hit from Raticate, this actually kind of helps it. Plus it is a Fighting Type attack, which Raticates are weak to. At the very least, I'm calculating a massive 300 hit points of damage has been dealt, which might just be enough to knock that Raticate out!"

The two Pokémon didn't move an inch. They just stood there, staring at each other.

The crowd watched with bated breath to see what would happen.

Then, finally, Raticate toppled over.

It had been knocked out.

"Raticate is unable to battle! Growlithe wins!" Declared the referee.

The crowd then began erupting into lots of cheering.

"Well, you were right about that Reversal attack. It was indeed more than enough to take down that Raticate".

"Not just that, I think Ryan might just have won the entire battle with just that one move".

Joey kept his head down, withdrew his Raticate and pulled out his second pokeball.

" **Rattata! Go!** "

Ryan decided just to get this battle finished as soon as possible.

" **Growlithe! Reversal! Once more!** "

Growlithe complied by launching another reversal attack at the Rattata, dealing massive damage to the Rattata and sending it flying into the arena wall, knocking it out instantly.

"Rattata is unable to battle! Growlithe wins again!" Declared the referee.

The cheering of the crowd got even louder.

Joey withdrew the first unconscious Rattata and went for his final pokeball.

" **Okay, Rattata, It's all or nothing!** "

Ryan wasn't planning on stopping any time soon.

"Okay, Growlithe. We're nearly done here. **Now use Reversal!** "

As Growlithe launched itself at the Rattata, Rattata launched itself in retaliation with a Bite Attack.

This, however, failed to stop Growlithe from slamming the Rattata into the ground, knocking it out as well.

"Rattata is unable to battle! Growlithe wins, which means the victor is Ryan!" Yelled the referee.

The crowd erupted into wild cheering.

"Unbelievable! Just when it began to look like Ryan wouldn't make it, he and his team bounce back and win the match!"

"Hell, he won that match when that Raticate was knocked out! Judging by Growlithe's condition, it's barely conscious. So if my calculations are correct, that Raticate and the two Rattatas after it were inflicted with as much as _400 points of damage each!_ 400! From a Growlithe! That's insane!"

"Indeed it is, my friend. Well, all we need to find out now is who wins the next battle. Whoever does will face Ryan in the final".

Ryan came onto the battlefield and scooped up his injured Growlithe.

"You were fantastic out there, Growlithe. Thank you" he said, giving it a hug.

Growlithe replied by licking Ryan's face.

Ryan and Joey then shook hands before heading back inside.

"Holy crap!" Exclaimed Nate. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone deal that much power in my life!"

"Thanks. admittedly, I was taking a huge risk out there with that".

"Well, that's one of the key parts of battling. You need to be prepared to take risks".

Ryan then headed off to heal his injured Pokémon.

"Alright, we have one more battle until we reach the final, so we'd better get things underway. This battle will be between Selina, the Mauville marauder..."

"...And Jason, the Veilstone Vanguard."

"These two trainers share an equivalent fighting style, opting for strong attacks and solid defence. Admittedly, we know very little about the background of these two, only that they've actually been travelling with Ryan. They were also there to help drive off Team Rocket when they attacked the battle subway."

"Pretty powerful, then".

"We can't tell who will win this battle, but whoever does win will be facing Ryan in the final. How about we just get this underway already?"

"Agreed. Jason and Selina, the arena awaits!"

The two trainers gave each other a fist bump before heading out onto the battlefield, taking opposite ends of the field.

"Heads or Tails, Jason" the referee called out.

"Tails"

The referee flipped the coin.

Heads.

The two trainers then went for their balls.

" **Machoke!** "

" **Frosslass!** "

Instantly, Selina was on the attack.

" **Okay Froslass, use Shadow Ball!** "

Froslass formed a Shadow Ball attack before launching it at Machoke.

" **Dodge it, then use Smack Down!** "

Machoke obliged, quickly strafing out of the way before launching itself at Froslass, landing a Smack Down attack on it.

Whilst it dealt hefty damage, it wasn't enough to knock out Froslass.

Froslass then retaliated by rapidly launching another Shadow Ball attack at Machoke, impacting it and causing it damage.

" **Now use Psychic!** "

Froslass then managed to land a powerful Psychic attack, knocking Machoke backwards.

Whilst the Smack Down attack had dealt Froslass lots of damage, it was nothing in comparison to the Psychic attack, which was just about enough to knock Machoke out.

"Machoke is unable to battle! Froslass wins!" Declared the referee.

As the crowd cheered, Jason withdrew his unconscious Machoke.

"You tried your best Machoke. Take a rest" he said to it.

"You're doing good so far, Froslass. Don't let up now" Selina said to her Pokémon.

Jason then went for his second pokeball.

" **Floatzel! Go!** "

Selina decided to continue as she was.

" **Use Psychic!** "

This attack sent Floatzel back.

"S **hadow Ball!** "

This sent Floatzel back even further.

" **Use Psychic once more!** "

This final attack launched Floatzel back even further and proved just about enough to knock it out.

"Floatzel is unable to battle! Froslass wins again!" Declared the referee.

As the crowd cheered, Jason withdrew Floatzel.

"Sorry, my friend. I just didn't react fast enough" he said sadly to his Pokémon.

He then sighed before pulling out his last pokeball.

" **Go! Ariados!** "

Selina just decided to get things wrapped up as quickly as possible.

" **Use Ice Shard!** "

Froslass launched many small shards of ice at the Ariados, causing significant damage.

" **Finish this up with Psychic!** "

Froslass then launched a Psychic attack, this time knocking out Ariados.

"Ariados is unable to battle! Froslass wins, which means the victor is Selina!" Yelled the referee.

"Well ladies and gentlemen, it has been decided. After much hard battling, Selina will be taking on Ryan in the final!"

"She and Jason both fought hard, but in the end, only one can go through. Well done to the both of you!"

"Great work out there, Froslass. Return!" Selina said happily to her Pokémon as the crowd cheered.

She and Jason then met in the middle of the battlefield, where they shook hands.

"You fought well, Selina." Jason said to her. "You deserved that win".

"Aw. Thanks Jase" She said to him.

Jason blushed slightly at this.

"Please don't call me that in public" he whispered.

Selina giggled softly.

"Your blushing always seems super cute to me".

"Selina..."

"I think I know a way to make you blush even harder".

"Whatever you thinking, it won't..." Jason began.

He was suddenly cut off as Selina placed both her hands on his cheeks, pulled him in, shut her eyes and kissed him hard, causing the crowd to cheer even louder.

This caused Jason to begin blushing profusely, which in turn caused Ryan to burst out laughing at the look on Jason's face.

"Ah, young love" mused one of the commentators.

As Selina eventually broke the kiss, she then headed back into the atrium, licking her lips and giving Jason a cheeky wink on her way back.

Jason slowly followed her, wobbling in shock as he went.

As they arrived back in the atrium, Ryan was still laughing his head off.

"The look on your face!" Yelled out Ryan as he continued laughing.

"Now I'll also admit that was pretty funny" confessed Nate.

As Selina went off to heal her pokemon, Jason went over to confess something to the others.

"Between you two and me" he whispered "I think I actually enjoyed that".

Very soon, it was time for the final battle to get underway.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, the time has come, every road has led to this. We started with sixteen competitors, but now we are down to just two. It's time to find our winner. Ryan and Selina, the arena awaits".

The two trainers then headed out onto the battlefield, where they were greeted by the roaring crowd.

As they took their sides, the referee came out.

"Heads or tails, Selina".

The referee flipped the coin.

Heads.

Selina then went for her first pokeball.

" **Go! Froslass!** "

"Go for it, buddy!" Ryan said to Wartortle.

Once Wartortle had run out onto the battlefield, Ryan wasted no time in setting the battle into motion.

" **Use Water Pulse!** "

Wartortle then launched a Water Pulse Attack in the direction of Froslass.

" **Counter with Shadow Ball!** "

Froslass launched a Shadow Ball, which made contact with the Water Pulse, causing both of them to explode in mid air.

Wartortle saw this opportunity to launch itself into the air with its tail and launch another Water Pulse. Froslass tried to counter this one, but it wasn't quick enough. This allowed the Water Pulse to cause damage to it.

Wartortle then followed this up with an Aqua Tail attack, causing Froslass even more damage.

Wartortle finished this off by forming another Water Pulse attack and knocking it down to Froslass with a hit from its tail. Fortunately for Ryan and Wartortle, it caused a critical hit and ended up being just about enough to knock out Froslass.

"Froslass is unable to battle!" Declared the referee. "Wartortle wins!"

As the crowd cheered, Ryan and Wartortle shared a quick high five.

Quickly, Selina withdrew Froslass and went for her second pokeball.

" **Delcatty! Go!** "

Almost immediately, Selina was on the counter offensive.

" **Use Wild Charge!** "

Delcatty raced towards Wartortle, surrounding itself with electricity.

However, Wartortle just simply dived out of the way before hitting Delcatty with a Water Pulse attack and following it up by multiple Aqua Tail attacks to the back of the head.

Then, much to the surprise of everyone, the Water Pulse launched at the other side of Delcatty managed to land a critical hit, knocking it out.

"Delcatty is unable to battle! Wartortle wins again!" Declared the referee.

"Wow! It appears Ryan is giving Selina a taste of her own medicine. At this rate, he'll easily win this battle!"

As the crowd cheered, Selina withdrew her unconscious Delcatty and went for her final pokeball.

"Last one! **Cinccino!** "

Ryan decided just to get this battle wrapped up as quickly as possible.

"We're almost there Wartortle! **Use Water Pulse!** "

As Wartortle launched a Water Pulse attack, Cinccino responded by dodging out of the way and using Grass Knot.

Whilst this did cause Wartortle significant damage, it didn't stop it from launching another Water Pulse, impacting the Scarf Pokémon.

As Wartortle picked itself back up, it had an idea.

It quickly put its head down before launching itself at the Cinccino.

Cinccino tried to stop Wartortle by using Hyper Voice, but this did next to nothing to stop Wartortle from slamming into it with its head, dealing massive damage.

Wartortle had learnt Skull Bash.

As Wartortle touched down, Cinccino keeled over, unconscious.

"Cinccino is unable to battle!" Yelled the referee. "Wartortle wins again, which means the victor is Ryan!"

As the crowd began to cheer loudly, fireworks began to go off.

"Well ladies and gentlemen, we have our winner. It has been a long tournament. We've had sixteen young trainers all fighting for the top spot, but in the end, there could only be one. Congratulations Ryan, YOU ARE THIS YEAR'S DRIFTVEIL TOURNAMENT CHAMPION!"

As Ryan waved to the cheering crowd, he caught sight of Lucy. Whilst all the others were standing up and cheering, Lucy was sat cross-legged in her seat with a scowl on her face.

Ryan just simply gave her a look that said "you've got nothing on me" and continued waving to the crowds, stopping to thank Wartortle for battling the way he did and celebrating with him.

Selina withdrew her unconscious Cinccino and went over to the two.

"Hey, I've got to say that you two were unbelievably great out there. Congratulations" she said, shaking their hands.

"Thanks Selina" Ryan replied happily.

"And now, Nate, the Unova Region Champion will present the victor with the official Driftveil Tournament platinum medallion.

As the crowd continued cheering, Nate walked onto the battlefield, followed by a female news reporter and a cameraman. In Nate's left hand, he held the official medallion.

"You both fought valiantly" Nate said to Ryan and Selina. "But in the end only one of you could win it".

He hung the medallion around Ryan's neck, with Ryan taking off his cap to allow it to fit round.

"Congratulations Ryan" Nate said, shaking Ryan's hand.

"Thank you Nate" Ryan replied happily.

The female news reporter then approached the trainers.

Ryan instantly recognised her as the one who was on TrainerNow!

"Well Ryan, you are this year's Driftveil Champion. How does it feel?"

Ryan grinned.

"It's not a bad feeling at all is it?"

"You certainly looked like you had it easy out there. Was it?"

"It looked easy, but in truth it was actually harder than it appears, particularly when I was against Joey in the Semi-Finals. But yeah, me and my team fought as hard as possible as now we're here as the winners, so it's all good".

"Finally, there are many people out there who are tipping you to become the next Unova region Champion. Do you think that is possible?"

Ryan chuckled.

"I can't say much at the moment, but I do think we're heading in the right direction"

"Okay, thank you".

She then moved on to Selina.

"Selina, you and your Pokémon tried your hearts out, but at the end of the day, you've come away empty handed. How do you feel?"

"Well, obviously I'm slightly disappointed that we lost, but at the same time, I'm glad because I know me and my team tried our very best, which is always the most you can do. Plus, I'm happy that Ryan was able to win as well"

"Is there anything you wish you could've done better?"

"Not really. Me and my team tried our hardest. I guess the main thing to change would be to do it the same".

"Finally, the roster total entrants for the tournament will increase to 24 for next year. Will you be entering?"

"Might do. Perhaps Jason will enter as well. We'll see what happens between now and then".

"Okay, thank you".

She then moved on to Nate.

"Nate, we have witnessed some fine battling here today. Can you tell us your thoughts?"

"Well, I couldn't be more impressed with a turnout for a tournament. every trainer here tried their hearts out. I loved it!"

"Any trainers catch your eyes out there?"

"Well, as I said, all of them were brilliant out there. But Ryan, Jason and Selina definitely seemed to catch my eye the most".

"Finally, there are many who are tipping Ryan to take your place as the Unova region Champion. What do you think?"

Nate thought about this for a moment before smiling.

"To be honest, I wouldn't actually mind if Ryan defeated me in battle. By the time he reaches me, he would've gone through three more gyms and the elite four, so he'll be notably stronger than he is now. But yeah, I'm looking forwards to battling him in the future"

"Thank you".

She then knelt down in front of Wartortle.

"Anything else to add?"

"Tortle!"

Then, suddenly, Wartortle began to glow brightly.

As everyone was shocked into silence, Wartortle began to change. it grew bigger and bulkier. But most of all, two cannons appeared on its back.

Eventually, the glowing light disappeared.

Wartortle was no longer there.

In its place stood Blastoise.

"Blaaaaaast!" It boomed.

An ecstatic smile crept over his face as tears of joy began to well in his eyes.

"I knew this day would come around soon, but I still can't believe it's happened at last. You've finally -* _sniff*_ \- YOU'VE FINALLY MADE IT, MY FRIEND!" Ryan wailed, crying tears of joy as he and his newly evolved Blastoise embraced, greeted by a resounding "Awww" from the spectators.

"Here, a bond between a trainer and his Pokémon could never be stronger" Nate commented happily.

"I second that" Selina added.

"THEY GROW UP SO FAST!" Ryan cried happily.

* * *

When it was time for everyone to leave, Ryan and Selina had their pokemon healed up whilst Jason was congratulating Ryan for his win.

As they prepared to leave the stadium, Ryan remembered that Lucy was there, so he had to stay vigilant.

However, as he poked his head through the doors, he found no one waiting to grab him.

Relieved at this, Ryan and his friends began to make their move.

"Hey, Ryan! Wait a moment!" Nate called to them.

"What is it?" Asked Ryan, he and the others stopping in their tracks.

"I have a little something I want to give to you." Nate replied, approaching the trainers. "Think of it as my way of saying congratulations".

Nate produced something out of one of his pockets.

An empty Master Ball.

Ryan was shocked. The Unova Champion was giving him a Master Ball, the most efficient capturing device ever created.

"You really want me to...?"

"Yes. I'm giving this to you as a congratulations and because a trainer like you would benefit greatly from having a Master Ball".

Ryan then took the Master Ball and placed it in his bag.

"Thank you" Ryan said to the champion, shaking his hand.

"Don't mention it" Nate replied, breaking the handshake. "Now then, I guess the next time we'll see each other will be at the League".

"Probably"

"well then, I'll be looking forward to our..."

" **Articuno! Ice Beam!** "

Suddenly, an Ice Beam Attack came from above the group, freezing Ryan up to his neck in ice.

As the group looked around, they found themselves being surrounded by a few shady looking individuals, similar to those Ryan had encountered back in Virbank city with Brendan and May.

Above them, just out over the water, flew an Articuno with a person riding on the back.

Lucy.

"W-What the..? HOW THE BLOODY HELL DID SHE GET AN ARTICUNO?!" Screeched out Ryan, trying to break himself free from the ice.

"Daddy was able to get it for me" Lucy explained.

"Well that's just great!" Ryan added sarcastically. "Now she has a freaking legendary bird! I am so screwed!"

"Which is precisely the reason why your friends should just walk away if they know what's good for them".

"No way in hell, Lucy!" Jason yelled out as he and Selina reached for their balls.

However, Nate held out one of his arms, signalling them to stop.

"I've got this one. You guys just get Ryan out of here" he said to them, taking two pokeballs off of his belt.

" **Emboar! Gigalith!** "

"Thank you Nate!" Ryan said to the champion as Blastoise picked him up and began to carry him over his shoulder.

"STOP THEM!" Ordered Lucy as the shady looking men went for their pokeballs.

The waterfront soon descended into chaos as Nate held off the men as the trainers made their escape.

"SEE YOU AT THE UNOVA LEAGUE!" Nate yelled after Ryan.

The trainers carried on back to Driftveil City, with Ryan still being carried by Blastoise.

Suddenly, Lucy and her Articuno flew overhead, launching an ice Beam and narrowly missing the group.

"Ryan's slowing us down!" Selina said to the group. "We need to break him out of the ice!"

"I'm on it!" Replied Ryan, still stuck in the ice. " **Blastoise! Skull Bash!"**

Blastoise then hopped into the air, his head making contact with the ice and shattering it.

Ryan rolled onto the floor and picked himself up.

"Thanks bud" he said to his friend. "Now, we run!"

The group continued on at a quicker pace, dodging shot after shot from Articuno.

Eventually, when the group reached Driftveil city, they ran through the Pokémon Centre, dived through a window at the back and hit in the undergrowth outside.

"We'll wait here until she leaves" whispered Ryan.

For the next few moments, they group laid behind the bushes in silence as Articuno flew overhead multiple times, screeching.

Eventually, the screeching stopped, allowing the group to leave their hiding place.

"Thank god that's over with".

"Well Ryan, you were certainly right about her".

"She is possibly the most psychotic girl I've ever met"

"Well don't worry about her now. She's gone"

"We'd best head off to Mistralton City"

"Right".

The group then began to head off. Just then, Ryan stopped them.

"What is it?"

"Look over there" Ryan replied, motioning ahead of them.

A Deerling was in front of them, munching on an Oran Berry bush.

"I kind of want to catch that Deerling" Ryan explained, readying an empty pokeball.

After waiting a moment to see what the Deerling was going to do, Ryan reacted.

" **Blastoise! Skull Bash!** "

Blastoise launched itself at the Deerling, impacting it with its skull and causing massive damage.

"Alright. **Go! Pokeball!** "

Ryan threw his empty pokeball.

In went Deerling.

_Vwoop_

_Vwoop_

_Vwoop_

_CLICK!_

Ryan picked up the pokeball.

"Welcome to the team Deerling" Ryan said to himself.

"Alright then, shall we?"

"Might as well. I mean, we need to go through Chargestone Cave and if what I've heard about it is true, healing our Pokémon would be a good place to start"

Once the team had stopped off at the Pokémon center to heal up Ryan's Pokémon, they began heading off to their next location: Mistralton City.

"Here I come Skyla" Ryan thought to himself.

* * *

"YOU GOT HER AN ARTICUNO?! ARE YOU MAD?!"

"I-I'm sorry, Frank. I had no other choice. I had to get it just to make her happy".

"Oh my god, Jim".

"Again, I'm sorry. I've literally been unable to properly keep my daughter under control these past few weeks".

"Jim, you've barely been able to keep your daughter behaved since she was eight".

Jim sighed.

"I know. That's when her mother's side came out".

"Don't remind me of that woman, please".

"Easy for you to say. You didn't have to marry her".

"You know what your problem is, Jim? You're too soft. You let Lucy get away with way too much".

"Tell me something I don't know. Every time I try to put my foot down, she's always been able to find a way around me. When I told her that maybe we should call this thing off, she goes ahead and hires all these guys to help track him down. When she wants something, she's going to get it in the end".

"You and I both know that the last twelve words that just came out of your mouth are completely untrue".

"Yes, but have you ever been around Lucy when she finds out she can't have something? It's like watching a volcanic eruption".

"Err...in case you don't remember, we were there for that little fracas that happened the day before Ryan left".

"Ah. That's right. I tried to forget about that"

"Can't really blame you. I've tried to forget about it as well".

"So now what do we do?"

"Is there any way you can dissuade Lucy from continuing further?"

"No. Believe me, I've tried".

"In that case, then, I guess the only thing we can do is sit back and hope that Ryan makes it to the League before Lucy catches up with him".

"I guess so. Anyway, I'd best be going. Lucy's just touched down in the back garden. Goodbye"

Jim Maynard hung up.

Putting the phone down, Frank Keyes ran his hands through his hair, letting out an audible huff.

"He went ahead and did it, didn't he?" His wife asked as she entered the room, carrying a newspaper under her left arm and a bottle of white wine in the other.

"Of course he did. That daughter of his just knows how to push his buttons".

"Doesn't she always?"

She handed him the newspaper.

"Speaking of, you're going to want to hear about what was just on the news"

"What? What happened?"

"Apparently, people are saying that a girl on an Articuno attacked the Driftveil Tournament winner"

"Oh my god" Muttered Frank, rubbing his eyes.

"Don't worry. The Unova League Champion helped him and his friends to make their escape. They're currently thought to be on the road to Mistralton City"

"That's a relief, I suppose"

"Still, you can't help but be a tad surprised by him. He's made quite a few interesting friends so far."

"Mmm. The Hoenn Champion, the Indigo Champion and now the Unova Champion. Plus the four, maybe even five gym leaders he's most likely beaten already".

"Talk about having friends in high places"

"Yes. I just hope that he never forgets about them. Whenever a person gets themselves caught in a jam, they can always rely on their friends to get them out."

"That sounded so incredibly cheesy. You're right, though"

"Anyway, fancy some wine?"

"Just one glass, thanks"

Eileen took two tall wine glasses out of a cupboard, pouring drinks for herself and her husband.

"Should we make a toast?"

"What do we toast to?"

Frank smiled.

"How about the Driftveil Tournament winner"

"You know what? I couldn't agree more"

Frank cleared his throat.

"A toast to the Driftveil Tournament winner and his Pokemon. Here's to all the battles he's fought, the feats he's accomplished, and everything that lies ahead for him. Here's to a person who may very well end up as the next Unova League Champion. Here's to a person who makes us proud to call him our son. May nothing but good fortune befall him".

"To Ryan"

"Yeah. To Ryan"


	12. The Last Temptation of Ryan

 

 

 

As sunlight shone violently through the exit, Jason, Selina and Blastoise left Chargestone Cave.

They had now arrived in Mistralton City.

"Finally, we're out of that godforsaken cave system!" Jason said, relieved.

In the distance, the sun was hanging low in the sky, showing that it would soon be setting.

"Okay Ryan, my watch says it's 3:30pm." Selina said. "Now I suggest we get the gym battle with your new crush out of the way before heading off to Opelucid City to challenge Drayden".

The trainers then realized something: Ryan wasn't there with them.

Just then, their friend came sprinting out of Chargestone cave, covered in tiny Joltiks.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" He screamed. "THEY'RE ALL OVER ME! GET 'EM OFF!"

Much to his surprise, Blastoise then picked him up and began shaking the bugs off of him before putting him down again.

"Uurgh!" Ryan muttered, shuddering. "Thanks buddy. Did I ever tell you guys that I have a strange hatred of that place. Lousy magnetized rocks."

"Don't worry about it mate" Jason replied. "We're in Mistralton City now, so you can go and see your sweetheart".

Ryan began blushing at this comment.

"She's not my sweetheart. She's just a girl I happen to like a lot".

"That makes her your sweetheart".

"Besides, she's probably got guys who are older, smarter and much more handsome than myself falling for her. Why would she want someone like me?"

"Well she seemed into you when we saw her last".

"She was just probably teasing".

"Let's just go find the gym".

The group then headed into the city to find Skyla's gym.

Admittedly, however, they initially struggled to find the gym, due the fact that they'd forgotten it was at one end of the nearby runway.

However, as they eventually reached the gym, located in an old aircraft hangar, they found the main doors shut with a large group of people, mostly men, waiting outside.

"Excuse me?" Ryan asked one of the men "Do you know where Skyla is?"

"Oh, Skyla's taking a quick break at the Nature Reserve" the man explained. "She should be back very soon".

Then, right on cue, a jet fighter flew directly overhead, causing the group to begin cheering.

The jet then turned around before coming into land.

Once it had finished screeching to a halt, the cockpit opened.

Out of the cockpit came the Mistralton Gym Leader herself, Skyla.

Ryan could feel his face heat up again.

As she jumped down from her plane, the crowd continued cheering.

"Hi everyone, I'm back!" Skyla said happily to them.

As she made her way towards the gym, the crowd parted for her.

Upon reaching the hangar doors, she unlocked them and pulled them open a bit, allowing people to squeeze through.

She then turned to the crowd.

"Alright then, who wants to battle me first?" She called out.

At this point, most of the crowd, stuck one of their hands in the air, hoping to attract Skyla's attention, with many of them yelling out things like "PICK ME!" or "OVER HERE, SKYLA!"

Ryan was trying his best to attract her attention, but a group of large, handsome men were blocking him.

"I'll battle..." Skyla muttered, looking through the crowd and trying to choose her first challenger.

Ryan knew the best way of getting noticed was to get closer to Skyla and hopefully she'd recognize him.

"Come on you guys" Ryan said to his friends as he began to push his way through the crowd.

Eventually, the only thing blocking his way was the group of handsome men.

Ryan peered through a small gap between two of them.

He could see Skyla, but she still couldn't see him.

He then had another idea. Quickly, he ran round the back of Blastoise and, with the help of Jason and Selina, clambered up his shell and stood on his shoulders, much more visible.

"HEY SKYLA!" Ryan called to the gym leader.

Their eyes met.

"Ryan! It's so good to see you again! How have you been?" Skyla called out happily as Ryan jumped off Blastoise's shoulders and landed in front of her.

"I'm doing great, Skyla. How about you?"

"I'm fine".

"That's good to hear".

"Anyway, I guess you're here to challenge me for another gym badge".

"Damn right".

Skyla grinned.

"Alright then Ryan, I accept your challenge".

The crowd greeted this with a cheer. The ones who weren't cheering, however, were the group of handsome guys who had been obscuring Ryan's view.

"You've got to be freakin' kidding" one of them said, dismayed. "We've been waiting for a battle for two hours and a mere runt is picked ahead of us?!"

Ryan and Blastoise both gave this man a deathly glare.

"Relax, Tyson." Skyla said to him. "You and your friends will get your chance to battle".

"But I still don't get what he has that we haven't".

"Well, for a start, he isn't being a jackass".

That shut them up.

"Now then, let's get down to business" Skyla said happily to Ryan, taking him by the arm and leading him into the gym, with Blastoise, Jason and Selina pushing past the men and following them in. The crowd followed after to watch the battle.

As they walked into the aircraft hangar, Ryan noticed a battlefield in the ground.

He and Skyla then took their places on the battlefield, with the others standing around the sides of the hangar, spectating.

Jason decided to referee this match.

"Ready, Ryan?" Skyla asked.

"Born ready".

Skyla then went for her first Pokeball.

" **Go! Swoobat!** "

Ryan knew immediately who to go with.

" **Pachirisu! Go!** "

" **Okay Swoobat, use Heart Stamp!** "

Ryan grinned.

"Okay Pachirisu, I'm going to hang back again. You battle how you want to battle"

"Chi Pa!" Pachirisu replied, giving him a nod.

Pachirisu then launched a Thunder Wave attack at the Swoobat, paralyzing it.

This was then followed by Pachirisu launching itself into the air, where it launched multiple Electro ball attacks at the Swoobat, dealing even more damage to it.

In fact, it ended up dealing so much damage it was just enough to knock Swoobat out.

"Swoobat is unable to battle! Pachirisu wins!" Declared Jason.

The crowd greeted this with cheering.

"Wow. This runt is actually pretty good" commented Eric, one of Tyson's friends.

Tyson scoffed. "Please. He's only on her first Pokémon. Let's see how well he goes against her last two".

Skyla withdrew her Swoobat.

"Sorry Swoobat. I just didn't react fast enough. Take a rest".

She then pulled out her second Pokeball.

"Impressive, Ryan. But lets see just how well you handle Skarmory. **Go!** "

As the Armour Bird Pokémon appeared on the battlefield, Ryan had an idea. Quickly, he whipped out Pachirisu's pokeball.

"You're doing great Pachirisu. Take a quick rest" he said as he returned Pachirisu to its ball.

He then whipped out another pokeball.

" **Growlithe! Come on out!** "

" **Skarmory! Fury Attack!** "

Skarmory then launched an array of fast paced attacks at Growlithe, causing it damage.

" **Retaliate with Flamethrower!** "

Growlithe then proceeded to launch a long jet of flame from its mouth, severely damaging the Skarmory upon contact. However, it somehow still managed to hold on.

" **Now use Flame Burst!** "

Growlithe then hit the damaged Skarmory with a Flame Burst attack, causing even more damage to be dealt. This time, Skarmory was rendered unconscious.

"Skarmory is unable to battle! Growlithe wins!" Declared Jason.

The crowd greeted this with more cheering.

The handsome guys had their jaws on the floor.

"This runt may be better than any of us here".

"Maybe, but Skyla still has that Swanna left and we know how tough that Swanna is".

Skyla withdrew the unconscious Skarmory.

"You tried your best, Skarmory. Thanks" She said as she pulled out one last Pokeball.

"Again, impressive. You've managed to knock out two of my Pokémon whilst preventing me from dealing significant damage to be dealt. But I've saved the best for last. **Swanna! Go!** "

Ryan knew immediately what to do.

"Great battling out there, Growlithe. **Return!** "

He then went for another Pokeball.

" **Pachirisu! Once More!** "

" **Swanna! Use Air Slash!** "

Ryan knew immediately how to wrap things up as fast as possible.

" **Finish this up with Volt Tackle!** "

Pachirisu then began charging towards the Swanna, surrounding itself with electricity before leaping into the air and impacting it, causing an insane amount of damage and sending it flying through the air and crashing to the ground, unconscious.

Whilst Pachirisu also received a huge amount of recoil damage, it wasn't enough to knock it out.

"Swanna is unable to battle! Pachirisu wins, which means the victor is Ryan!" Declared Jason.

The crowd greeted this with further cheering, as Ryan scooped up Pachirisu.

"You were amazing out there! Thank you!"

"Chi Pa!"

Skyla withdrew her unconscious Swanna and went over to Ryan.

"Ryan, I can sense your passion for battling has flared since the last time we met. The bond between you and your Pokémon has also grown stronger as well. It is with these things in mind that I am proud to give you your own Jet Badge" Skyla said to him, producing a Jet Badge.

"Great. Thank you, Skyla" Ryan replied happily, placing the gym badge in his badge case and shaking Skyla's hand. "Anyway, it's been great to see you again, but my friends and I need to get going".

The smile on Skyla's face turned into a look of disappointment. "Get going? But you've only been here for an hour".

"I'd love to hang around, but I need to get to Opelucid City as soon as possible to challenge Drayden, plus I'm being hunted by Lucy"

"Oh. Well, okay. I understand" Skyla replied sadly.

Ryan could tell that Skyla wanted Ryan to stay for longer. He looked over at Jason and Selina, then back at Blastoise. He could tell by the looks on their faces what they thought Ryan should do.

"Actually, you know what, I have bags of time" Ryan said to the gym leader. "I think I can stay for longer".

Skyla's face lit up.

"Yay! Thank you Ryan!" Skyla squealed with delight, engulfing Ryan in a tight hug.

"Th-That's okay Skyla" Wheezed Ryan. "C-Could you let me go please? You're choking me".

* * *

After healing up their Pokémon, Skyla continued battling challengers, whilst Ryan and his friends watched.

Despite the best attempts from the other challengers, none of them were able to walk away with their own Jet Badges. Not even the group of handsome men who had called Ryan a "runt" could beat Skyla. Needless to say, they were pretty embarrassed by their defeat.

Finally, once the last challenger had left the gym, the group was left chatting again as the evening began to roll in.

As they continued chatting friendly, Blastoise yawned tiredly.

Ryan noticed this.

"Well, it looks like someone needs there sleep. We'd love to stay for a bit longer, but we'll probably need to get our shut-eye soon as well" Ryan said to Skyla.

"Hey, I was just thinking, how about you guys stay the night at my place?"

"Seriously? You're allowing us to stay at your place?"

"Yeah. I insist. It's been a while since I've had anyone else around, besides Elesa. Don't worry about space, I've got plenty of room"

"I'm not complaining"

"Neither am I".

"Alright then, we'll stay at your place. Thanks"

Skyla was delighted.

"That's great! Come, my place is just out back"

Skyla lead the group out the back of the aircraft hangar, where she lead them off the back of the runway and into the forest, where they eventually came across Skyla's house.

Needless to say, they could see why Skyla said not to worry about space. Whilst the house itself was dwarfed when compared to Ryan's, it was still pretty impressive to look at. The group soon found themselves even more impressed as Skyla opened the front door, leading them into a beautiful hallway with cream-coloured walls and spotless marble flooring.

"Nice place you've got here" Ryan mused, weighing up his options in the event he failed to become champion.

The group were eventually led through to Skyla's living room, where the three trainers made themselves comfortable on Skyla's massive leather couch.

"Thank you for letting us stay here, Skyla" Selina said to the gym leader.

"Pleasure's all mine" Skyla replied happily. "I'm just glad I can help a group of young trainers out, especially after they got attacked by a crazy person on an Articuno".

The three were confused.

"How did you-"

"Find out? It was all over the news. They identified the three of you and everything. They didn't identify your attacker, though. What on Earth would possess someone to do something like that in the first place?"

The three shared glances with each other before looking back to Skyla.

"Well the thing is, Skyla, whilst the news didn't know who the attacker was...we do".

"You do? Who was it?"

"Well...do you remember back at the Unova Leaders Tournament when I told you about my fiancée?"

"Yeah, I remember. The one who wanted you to get rid of your Blastoise".

Almost immediately, Skyla put two and two together.

Her jaw dropped.

"You're joking!"

"Unfortunately not. It appears her father went and got it for here, the moron. I mean, he's a nice enough person, he just has no spine. Asides from that, though, things have been pretty good. I got this from the Driftveil Tournament" Ryan replied, opening his jacket and revealing his platinum medallion.

"Oh yeah! I forgot that was the prize!"

"That's not the only thing I got".

Ryan reached into his bag and produced the Master Ball.

Skyla was amazed.

"No way, you got a master ball as well?"

"Yeah. A congratulatory gift from Nate. The only problem is, which Pokemon do I catch with it? If my Dad's correct, then these things both take a lot of time to make and cost a lot of money, so I need to be careful when I use it. Imagine I use it to catch, say, a Terrakion and later have an encounter with something like a Reshiram or a Zekrom. Heck, maybe even a Victini."

"Well, if it helps you, I did hear that there was a Latios in the Dreamyard outside Striaton City. Or was it a Latias? It was one of those."

"Plus, I think I heard that Cresselia may also be native to Unova as well" Selina interjected.

"Yeah. Thanks. Guess the best thing to do would be to keep a hold of this thing for now. At least I have some sort of choice".

It was at this point that Ryan's train of thought was interrupted by a low growling sound emitting from his stomach.

"Well, judging by that sound, you must be pretty hungry".

"A bit, yeah. We haven't had anything to eat since we left the stadium. Do you have anything to eat?"

Skyla thought about it for a moment.

"Actually, how about I order the four of us some pizza?"

The trio were a bit surprised by Skyla's offer.

"Really? You...you sure?" Asked Jason

"Of course. Mi casa es tu casa. Besides, I've been wanting an excuse for a good pizza party for a while."

"Well...okay, if you insist. Thanks."

"That's alright. By the way..."

Skyla picked herself up off the couch before heading around and disappearing into the kitchen.

What followed was the sound of a door opening, followed by something being dragged along the floor, accompanied by Skyla grunting

The gym leader soon returned, carrying with her four moderately large sacks, containing Pokemon food. Each one seemed about as wide as Blastoise and were big enough to come up to her waist.

The Shellfish Pokemon's eyes lit up.

"Your Pokemon can help themselves to some of this if they want. I do have some bowls, but it would be much easier for them to eat straight from the bags. Don't worry about them making a mess. My six usually make a mess themselves, anyway".

Seeing his opportunity, Blastoise immediately stuck a hand into one of the bags, grabbing a massive handful of Pokemon food and shoving it into his mouth.

"Wait, you have six Pokemon?"

"Of course. I actually used some of my others in the Leaders Tournament yesterday. In fact, hold on".

Skyla disappeared again, this time heading upstairs to her bedroom before once again returning, now with three extra pokeballs to accompany the three she already had on her belt.

"You've already met three of them. Now, how about you meet the others?"

Skyla opened the pokeballs, releasing an Unfezant, a Braviary and a Mandibuzz, her other three following them.

"Well, I guess we'd better bring out ours as well".

The three trainers released then took their turn to release their Pokemon from within their balls.

As the Pokemon began to empty the bags of food, things seemed a bit less roomy.

"Hey, I just though of something" Skyla said to the group. "How the heck are we going to sort out where you're going to sleep?"

"Oh, I'll be fine. I have a sleeping bag with me".

"We have a couple of sleeping bags as well, so we should be okay."

"Well alright then. I guess we're sorted".

Skyla rubbed her hands together.

"Now, who wants pizza?"

* * *

Mercifully, the pizzas arrived just a couple of minutes after being ordered. The very moment they arrived, the four trainers had sat themselves back down in the living room, ready to devour their toasty warm pizzas of choice.

Each trainer had ordered a different one. Ryan had gone for Mushroom, Jason had gone for Green Peppers and Black Olives, Selina had gone for extra cheese and Skyla had gone with classic Pepperoni.

Before they had started, however, Skyla had recommended watching a movie as they ate, with the group opting to make use of the DVD boxsets they had won back at Pokestar Studios.

So now, the trainers found themselves sat in the living room, eating pizza and watching the first installment of the Timegate Traveler trilogy.

As the film drew to its climax, Ryan thought about how surreal all of this was. He had actually seen the first Timegate Traveler film a couple of years ago, when it had first come out. Now, here he was, not only having met the main star of the film (Nate), but having actually helped make a short film. The first time he had seen it, he had the chance to watch the film and enjoy it as entertainment. Now, he found himself doing his best to analyse it, breaking it down and figuring out what worked and what didn't.

At least, he would be if it weren't for the pizza.

The film itself was surprisingly short, reaching the credits after just an hour and a half.

As they began to roll, Skyla stood up, stretching her legs.

"Well, that pretty good".

"Yeah. Cheesy as hell, though".

"Anyway, I'm getting myself a drink. You three want anything?"

"Nah, I'm alright thanks".

"I'm good".

"Same".

The gym leader then headed out of the living room and into the kitchen to get herself some refreshment. She didn't choose something immediately, though, spending a few moments just standing there, making her choice.

She shrugged.

"Guess a little red wine wouldn't hurt".

The gym leader opened up her drinks cabinet and began to rummage through it, going past merlots, ciders and whiskeys aplenty.

However, she then spotted a drink that peaked her interest, prompting her to remove it from the cabinet and inspect the label.

_Johto Smoking Skull_

_195 Proof Vodka_

_Officially the strongest alcoholic drink in the world_

Skyla remembered this drink. Elesa had gotten it for her for Christmas and had been daring her to drink it since. Of course, Skyla wasn't a lightweight when it came to her and booze. It usually took a lot to get her drunk. But even so, the strongest kind of booze she usually drank were just cheap beers, with some of the more heavier beverages kept to some sort of moderation. But even so, she had been a bit reluctant to take a sip of the Smoking Skull, as the alcohol percentage was beyond anything she had ever tried before.

She shrugged, pulling out a shot glass.

"Might as well. This thing ain't gonna drink itself".

Skyla returned to the living room, plopping herself down next to Ryan.

"A bit early to start drinking, don't you think?"

"Hell no. It ain't never to early too start. You sure you don't want any?"

"We're good, thanks. How about you, Ryan? You are now old enough to drink".

"Hmm...I don't know. What's the alcohol percentage?"

"Oh, about 97%"

"97!? Yeah, no. I don't my liver to be destroyed just yet".

"Eh, suit yourself" The gym leader replied, pouring out a shot before throwing it back, downing it in one gulp.

For a few moments afterwards, Skyla didn't say anything as she savoured the taste of the vodka, her face carrying a look of contemplation before she eventually announced her thoughts.

"Holy crap, that's some strong stuff. Tastes pretty nice, too". She declared, already feeling a little buzzed.

"You'd better be careful, Skyla" Ryan said to her. "You keep drinking that and you'll be blowing chunks like there's no tomorrow".

"I'll be fine" Skyla reassured the trainer. "I have a liver made of steel".

"Okay, if you say so. Wanna watch the next film?"

"Go for it. I'll see how much of this I can go through".

Jason went up and removed the disk from the DVD Player, replacing it with the sequel.

For the length of the second movie, pretty much the same happened: the four sat there, eating their pizza as Ryan silently critiqued it. Overall, he found this film to be a bit more enjoyable. It was cheesy, but it also took itself seriously when it needed to do so. The plot, whilst not particularly original, was easy to follow and not particularly contrived. Plus, Nate now seemed a bit more comfortable in his role as the lead character.

However, unlike the last viewing experience, Ryan kept hearing the sound of Skyla knocking back shot after shot of vodka. Halfway through, after Skyla had taken about five or six shots, he was starting to get quite concerned. Skyla had said that her liver was made of steel, but Ryan feared that this was just arrogance more than anything. This was partly confirmed to the trainer when he looked over to the gym leader, noticing that she now looked slightly (read: majorly) boozed up. Her face had now flushed a bright shade of red as her eyes couldn't seem to open above a half-lidded expression. It looked as if she was about to fall asleep right there and then. Then, as the movie began to wind down, reaching the last ten minutes, Ryan felt something place itself on his right shoulder.

As he looked over, he found that the gym leader had placed her head against his shoulder, her gorgeous red hair acting like a cushion.

A soft, almost sensual moan escaped her lips as she adjusted herself, the vibrations lightly tickling Ryan's neck.

Ryan couldn't help but look over at his friends as they watched the situation unfold before them.

"Help!" He mouthed to them, his face slowly turning red.

Jason and Selina didn't say anything. They just tried their best to stifle their laughter.

Ryan just gave them a look.

Eventually, the film came to an end and the credits began to roll.

"Right, I'm going for a pee" Ryan declared, preparing to get up and head for the bathroom. However, before he could do so, Skyla shuffled in closer, moving her arms around to rest on his left shoulder.

"No..." She mumbled sleepily. "Stay here wi'me. So...-hic-...warm"

Ryan squirmed in his seat.

"Ya know sumthin' Ry? I think...I-I think you'll make some lucky girl _very_ happy".

Jason and Selina were now desperately attempting to hold their laughter in as Ryan's face seemed to get more and more red.

"Uh...Uh...Uh" Ryan muttered, desperately trying to defuse the tension. "Uh, h-hey Jason, um...wh-what time is it?"

Jason looked at the clock on the wall".

"Says it's currently 10:45".

"Oh, is-is that so? Well then, we'd...w-we'd better start getting ready for bed!" The trainer declared nervously. As much as he liked Skyla, this whole situation was making him feel a bit weird.

"Hmm. I...- _hic_ -...guess you're right" The gym leader mumbled, tentatively picking herself up off the couch, wobbling as she went. "I'd better hit the sack. D...Don't be afraid to come find me if you...- _hic_ -...need anything"

"We'll keep that in mind. Thank you again, Skyla".

"Ahh, S'alright"

Still wobbling a little bit, Skyla reached down and picked up the bottle of vodka.

"Taking this. Tastes very nice".

"Yeah, you'd better be careful with that. You're already pretty hammered".

"Nah, it's good" Skyla replied with a dismissive wave of the hand. "It's all good. Good...- _hic_ -...night!"

"See you in the morning, Skyla"

With that, the gym leader drunkenly shambled out of the room and up the stairs to her bedroom, followed by her Pokemon.

When she had left, Jason and Selina looked back to see the still confused look on Ryan's face, sharing a chuckle.

"You know something, I think she's perfect for you. You're all quiet and reserved, she's all social and free spirited. She kinda completes you. Besides, she clearly has a thing for you".

Ryan gave his friend a dirty look.

"Jason?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up"

* * *

Despite what he had gone through, Ryan was unable to have the desired rest he had wanted, waking up during the middle of the night.

He sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"Just my luck" he thought to himself before turning to look at the clock on the wall.

_01:10 AM_

Half past midnight.

Ryan sighed.

"Bollocks"

He looked over at the adjacent sofa bed, where the gently snoring Jason and Selina were still sleeping.

"Well, at least someone is having a good snooze"

His pattern of thought was interrupted by a quiet grumbling sound emitting from his stomach.

"Mum always told me that I wasn't allowed to have midnight snacks".

He thought about this.

"Not that that's stopping me now, however. I wonder if there's any more pizza left?" He added, slowly slipping out of his sleeping bag before tentatively sneaking out of the room and into the kitchen, being wary as to not wake his friends.

There on the counter was one of the pizza boxes.

Opening the box up revealed three slices of pepperoni pizza.

"Nice"

Feeling that he was safely out of earshot of his friends, Ryan pulled off the cling film before picking up the top slice and taking a bite out of the end.

Before tonight, Ryan had forgotten how much he had loved pizza. Now, it seemed like pizza was the only thing Ryan wanted to eat.

"Perhaps I'll take a second slice back with me. Knowing me, one slice won't be enough"

Ryan grabbed a second slice and closed the box before turning around to make his move back, taking a few steps - and bumping into Skyla.

The surprise appearance of the gym leader was enough to garner a yelp of fright out of Ryan, before he stuck his hands over his mouth (which would have been easier if he didn't have pizza slices in both). Mercifully, this failed to wake the others.

His thoughts returning to Skyla, the first thing Ryan noticed was the unmistakably familiar smell of Johto Smoking Skull Vodka. He then noticed the sleepy/happy look on her face. And that she was wobbling slightly. And that her pyjamas were on backwards/barely on at all.

"H-hi...- _hic-_...hot stuffff" She slurred, shuffling a little bit closer to Ryan.

"Uh...Hi, Skyla" Ryan replied, recovering from his initial surprise. Remembering how she had initially been a few hours ago, he wanted to tread as carefully as possible, not wanting to bring Skyla on. "W-What are you doing down here at this time?"

"I've got...got the munchies" She whispered, as if she was a naughty kid coming down for a midnight snack when she wasn't supposed to.

"Uh...huh" Ryan replied, trying to go about his situation carefully.

He extended one of his arms towards Skyla, offering her one of the pizza slices he was holding. The gym leader, however, clumsily pushed his hand away.

"Nah. Don't..don't wanna..."

"Well...alright then. What do you want?"

The next thing Ryan knew, Skyla had both her hands on the counter, each one on either side of Ryan, essentially trapping him.

"This" She whispered, shutting here eyes and leaning in, her face getting alarmingly close to the trainer's.

However, before she could plant a kiss on Ryan, the trainer held a finger up to her lips.

He struggled to think of what to say next. His mind was travelling at several thousand miles an hour, no thanks to the overwhelming smell of vodka on Skyla's breath.

"Skyla..." He began slowly, carefully thinking about his next few words. "...you're wasted. The one thing you need more than food right now is sleep".

"Awww c'mon, Ry." Skyla replied, a druken smile on her face. "I wanna have some fun".

This was now starting to get really awkward for Ryan.

"You can have some fun in the morning, Skyla". He replied, slipping out from between Skyla's arms. "Right now, you need your sleep".

Returning one of the pizza slices to the box, Ryan stuffed the other one into his mouth before taking Skyla by the hand and leading her out of the kitchen.

"Wow, you made it down all these stairs in the state you're in?" Ryan muttered as the two ascended to Skyla's bedroom. "You're lucky you didn't trip and fall on your arse".

Eventually, the two made their way to the top of the stairs and into Skyla's bedroom. It was a nice room with pristine marble flooring and a large king-sized bed with its headboard placed against the wall furthest away from the two. To the right was a door, leading into an en-suite bathroom.

Perched on the bedside cabinet was, of course, the now half-empty bottle of Smoking Skull.

"Of course".

Reaching over, Ryan began to lift up one end of the bedsheet, unaware that Skyla was plotting something in her drunken stupor.

"Alrighty then, you just get yourself nice and comfortable and come find me if you need-AAH!"

The next thing he knew, Ryan was lying face up on the bed with Skyla on top of him.

Looking into her eyes, the only expression he could see was that of pure unbridled lust.

"Need, Ry? Oh, I don't need anything, but you...I...- _hic_ -...I know what you need" Skyla replied, leaning in to try and kiss him again.

"B-But you're wasted!" Ryan exclaimed, trying to escape from Skyla's grasp again. "I-I don't wanna be-MMPH!"

The trainer was silenced by the gym leader as she landed a kiss on his lips.

To Ryan, the very moment their lips made contact, time seemed to stand still. At that moment, there were no one and nothing else. Just Ryan and Skyla.

Ryan didn't know what to do. His mind was now going all over the place, preventing him from making a proper decision. He just laid there, his eyes wide with shock as Skyla continued to canoodle his face.

In fact, he was so shocked, he failed to notice Skyla's hand slide down and grab a handful of-

"MMMMMM!"

Ryan pushed the drunken Skyla off before quickly shuffling across the bed, falling off at the other end.

He poked his head up over the sheets, blushing profusely.

"O-Okay. Le-Le-Le-Let-Let's just...Let's just calm things down here, okay?"

A look of disappointment appeared on Skyla's face.

"You don't wanna?" She mumbled.

"N-Not really, no. You're hammered and I don't want to be held responsible for doing something we're both going to regret".

Skyla looked crestfallen.

"You...- _hic_ -...don't like me, don'tcha?"

"Oh no, no, no. It's not like that, Skyla". Ryan replied softly, scooting over the bed to sit next to her. "I do like you. I really do. You're one of the best people I've ever met. The fact that you allowed us to spend the night here means a lot.".

Ryan sighed.

"I just wish I'd met someone like you earlier. Perhaps I wouldn't have ended up in the predicament that I'm in".

"Whaddya...- _hic-..._ Mean by that?"

The trainer realised what he was implying.

"Erm...W-What I mean is..." He began, mumbling the rest of his sentence.

Skyla chuckled.

"What wassat, Ry?"

"I said..." Ryan repeated, slightly louder but still inaudibly mumbling the rest of the sentence.

"Didn't quite catch that..."

"I said "I'd almost certainly stay for the wedding"!" Ryan blurted.

Skyla didn't say anything, sitting there in surprise as her brain processed what the trainer had just said. No small feat, considering how sozzled she was.

"Look, I...I'm sorry" Ryan said, regretting his little outburst. "I shouldn't have said that, I…I should go"

Ryan stood up and began to leave. However, before he could get any further, he felt something enclose tightly around his wrist.

Looking over his shoulder, he found Skyla holding on to him.

"Please...Please stay". She said softly.

Seeing sincerity in her words, Ryan sat back down on the bed next to her. He didn't dare look up at her though, staring at the floor instead.

"Ryan...are you...- _hic_ -...saying-"

"Yes, Skyla. I...I'm in love with you. I've had a thing for you ever since I first saw you on the telly. You just seemed like the most fun, carefree person ever. Meeting you in real life confirmed this to me." Ryan replied before finally looking up at the gym leader, making eye contact with her.

There were many things that Ryan loved about Skyla. Her long, flowing red locks, her alluring figure, her positive demeanor, to name but a few things. But perhaps his favourite part of the gym leader were her eyes. Staring into her sparkling deep-blues, he felt as if he could get lost in them and not mind one bit.

"Ryan..." The gym leader uttered softly.

Their faces were much closer now. Ryan could now feel Skyla's warm breath against his neck, causing his hairs to stand up a little. However, just as it seemed like their lips were about to touch, Ryan pulled away.

"I can't. I-I'm sorry, Skyla, but I can't. It's just...not right".

His eyes looking back up to look into Skyla's again, Ryan's hands gripped the bedsheets as he seriously began to reconsider his options. On the one hand, Skyla was flat-out drunk. On the other hand, she was coming on to him.

Ryan's mind began to flip back and forth on what to do.

_Kiss her._

_Don't do it._

_Kiss her!_

_Don't do it!_

_KISS HER!_

_DON'T DO IT!_

Eventually, he came to a decision, sighing.

"You know what?"

"What?"

"Screw it!" Ryan declared before throwing his hands up around the collar of Skyla's pyjamas and pulling her in, shutting his eyes as their lips pressed together.

As their lips began to move in time with each other, the gym leader moved her hands up Ryan's back, resting them on his shoulder blades. A small moan escaped her lips, heightening their passion. As the kissing continued, their lip lock slowly became deeper and more aggressive. Skyla's hands moved up from Ryan's shoulder blades to grip on his actual shoulders, her grip slowly growing tighter as time went by.

Unfortunately, they soon found themselves running out of air and as a result, had to resurface, ending their intimate moment.

The two didn't say anything for a few moments. They just sat there staring into each other's eyes, panting as they tried to catch their breath. Their heads were still incredibly close together, as if they were about to launch into another passionate kiss any moment.

Eventually, Skyla broke the silence.

"R...Ryan?" She said softly.

"Yes, Skyla?"

"I don't feel too good".

Ryan instantly picked up on what Skyla was saying, quickly clambering off the bed and running over to her bathroom door to open it as she began to groan. The gym leader then rolled off the bed and with Ryan's assistance, staggered into the bathroom before placing her head over the toilet bowl, with the trainer opting to wait outside the room to allow Skyla to do her business in peace.

What followed was roughly five minutes worth of retching noises as Skyla's liver ejected itself from her body.

Once she was finished, the sounds of retching were followed by the sounds of the toilet flushing, running water from the sink, Skyla gurgling and Skyla spitting.

The gym leader eventually re-emerged from the bathroom, clutching her stomach.

"Well... _urp_...there goes the pizza".

"Feel better?"

"A little bit. I mean, my guts are churning away right now."

Ryan sighed.

"Guess I'd better stay with you if you have any issues in the night".

"You know...I'd...I'd like that. I'd like that a lot".

Lifting up the bed covers, Ryan helped Skyla ease gently onto the mattress, not wanting to upset her stomach further. As the gym leader settled her head onto the pillow, Ryan went around to the other side and climbed in next to her.

As Ryan placed his own head on the pillow, Skyla turned over to face him.

"This is actually quite nice."

"Yeah. Bed's nice and comfy. Warm, too".

"Thank you for a great night, Ryan."

"That's okay, Skyla. It's been...informative."

Skyla giggled.

"Yeah, I guess you can say that".

"Hey, I just thought of something. Chances are, when you wake up tomorrow, you're going to have a raging hangover. Want me to bring you up some water?"

"You know what? I'd like that. I'd like that a lot. Thank you".

"Alright. Back in a minute" Ryan replied, slipping out of bed and leaving the room, heading downstairs and into the kitchen.

As he walked, he couldn't help but rerun the last few minutes in his head.

A drunken Skyla had come down an attempted to kiss him, leading Ryan to try and escort her back up to her room. The two had then gone back and forth for a little bit before Ryan had confessed to Skyla and the two had kissed.

Oddly enough, this was only the second or third strangest thing that had happened to Ryan on his-

"So, did it happen?" Asked a voice.

Ryan turned around to face the direction the voice had come from, finding Jason leaning against a wall.

"What?"

"Did you and Skyla come together?"

"Well...I guess you could say that".

Jason chuckled.

"I knew it. I woke up and looked over and I saw you'd gotten up and I just knew where you were. Honestly, I was starting to think that you didn't have it in you".

"Yeah, well let's just say that you learn something new everyday".

"So, was it good?"

"If by "good" you mean "better than Lucy", yes...by a country mile. The thing is, I don't think I ever had the tingles with Lucy the same way I had them just now. It was just...sooooo good!"

Jason glanced down before looking back up at Ryan.

"Obviously". He replied, giving his friend a look.

The trainer was initially confused as to the manner in which his friend had said that.

He looked down.

"Oh".

* * *

The sensation of cold steel against his forehead was the first thing Ryan felt when he woke up.

Almost immediately, alarm bells began to ring as Ryan tried to identify his surroundings, the young trainer discovering himself to be in hat appeared to be a small room with a hard steel floor. It was effectively impossible to make out any further details, as the only light source in the room was a single light bulb dangling right above him, only illuminating the small area of the room he was in.

Even more bells started ringing when he tried to pick himself up, only to discover that his hands and feet were tied together, only allowing him to get up onto his knees.

"Okay, this is not good" he muttered to himself, trying his best to remain calm. "Hello?" He called out into the darkness. "Anyone there? I'm kind of stuck here, can you help me please? Anyone?"

Initially there was no reply.

However, as the trainer tried to struggle out of his bonds, he eventually got one.

"Now Ryan, is there really any point in struggling? You're only going to end up making things harder for yourself"

Ryan's blood ran cold as he recognized the voice.

"Lucy. You did this, didn't you?"

Ryan's fiancée stepped out of the darkness, standing over Ryan.

"I'm sorry, darling, but you left me with no other option. You and I are meant to be together and this was the only way I was going to have you" she replied, smiling. "You know, you really have caused me a lot of trouble. It was all going so well until you and that lousy Squirtle of yours decided to run off just before our wedding day, under some misguided belief that you were going to become anything noteworthy. Face the facts, Ryan. You're nothing. You've always been nothing and without me, you're always going to be nothing"

Ryan shook his head.

"No. That's not true. There's no way in hell you can know that" he replied defiantly, still trying to wriggle out of his bonds.

Lucy laughed.

"Naive as always. But you know what, I would have forgiven you for that. I would have even forgiven you for running away...but then you met her"

Ryan instantly knew who she was talking about.

"Where's Skyla?"

"Shut up" she snapped. "Do you have any idea what you did with her? You damaged our commitment. You kissed another girl. You cheated on me".

Ryan was starting to get quite scared now.

"Look Lucy, I'm sorry. I...I'll go back. We can get married like you had planned. Just, please leave Skyla out of this."

Lucy scoffed.

"And you think I'll forgive you for what you did. No. Absolutely not. Oh, don't worry. We will be together again soon. You just need to be taught a lesson".

Lucy snapped her fingers.

A pair of thuggish-looking males came out of the darkness, dragging with them an all too familiar red haired female, bound and gagged.

"SKYLA!"

Skyla was dumped down next to Ryan, her hair a mess and her face streaked with tears.

Ryan looked up at Lucy.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Like I said, I'm teaching you a lesson. Oh, and don't worry. I've got another one of your friends here for you. Boys?"

On command, another group of thuggish-looking males came out of the dark, dragging with them a chained up and battered Pokemon.

Blastoise.

"Oh no." Muttered Ryan. "Please god, no"

The group slumped the unconscious Blastoise down next to his trainer.

The poor thing looked as if it had attempted to take on every single legendary Pokemon by itself.

"Finally, the band is all here." Lucy remarked. "Admittedly, I did consider bringing your two other friends along as well, but I decided to leave them be. Now, you may be wondering why I brought these two along if I wanted to teach you a lesson. Well, that's the whole idea. I'm going to teach you a lesson...but having you make a choice".

It was at this point that Lucy reached into one of her pockets before pulling out a single 9mm pistol.

Ryan's heart was now racing. He knew just what Lucy was thinking.

"Lucy, please. I know what you're going to do. I'm begging you, don't do this!"

"Don't do this? How else will I be able to teach you a lesson without making a statement like this. Now then, as you can see, I'm currently holding a gun in my hand. There are two bullets in the clip. Your task is to choose who lives."

She pointed the gun at Blastoise.

"Your best friend..."

She then pointed the gun at Skyla, causing her to visibly flinch.

"...or your mistress. Also, if you don't choose, I'll be forced to kill them both. You've got ten seconds. Make your choice".

"You...you monster!" Ryan cried, his eyes starting to well up.

"You can make it all end when you make a decision" she replied. "Ten."

Ryan looked back and forth between Skyla and Blastoise.

"Nine."

As he looked back and forth between the two, Ryan desperately hoped that Jason and Selina knew where they were and are on their way to help them.

"Eight".

The closer Lucy got to zero, the more Ryan feared that his friends wouldn't be able to make it in time.

"Seven"

He looked over at Blastoise again, remembering the three years he and the shellfish Pokemon had spent growing up together, getting him as a gift on his fourteenth birthday, playing together in the garden...

"Six"

...running away together, winning their first gym badge and eventually beginning to climb the ladder. But most of all, Ryan could remember watching his best friend grown from a tiny Squirtle to the Blastoise lying before him.

"Five"

He then looked over at Skyla, feeling nothing but regret and guilt.

"I'm the one who brought her into this" Ryan thought to himself. "If it wasn't for me, she wouldn't even be in this mess"

"Four"

"WAIT!" Yelled out Ryan, shuffling closer to Lucy. "I've made a decision"

Much to the surprise of Lucy, Ryan then leaned forwards so that the pistol was pointing at his head.

"They're only here because of me. So here's my bargain. My life for theirs. You kill me and they can go."

Lucy pondered this for a moment.

An evil grin then appeared on her face.

"Now that just won't do. I'd never be able to sort you out if you were dead. Besides, I want you for myself. Plus..."

She checked her watch.

"...I think you just ran out of time".

Lucy raised the pistol, aiming it at Skyla.

_**"NO!"** _

_*BANG*_

The very moment Lucy pulled the trigger, Ryan was shocked back to reality, panting and sweating, his heart racing.

For a few moments, he didn't move. He just stared up at the ceiling.

Skyla's bedroom ceiling.

As he looked to his left, he found the Mistralton Gym leader herself fast asleep.

It had all been just been a crazy nightmare.

However, any sense of relief was lost on the thoughts that were racing through the mind of the trainer as he turned over to try and go back to sleep, mainly over how real the nightmare had felt.

"I mean, I know it's a nightmare" he thought to himself. "But what if what I saw ends up actually happening? What if I actually do wake up where I did...and there's nothing I can do to stop at least one of them dying? What if...oh god...what if Jason and Selina get roped into it as well. It's my fault...It's all my fault"

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop himself as he began to quietly cry.

* * *

The first thing Skyla felt as she woke up was a horrible throbbing sensation, as if she had repeatedly smashed her head against concrete.

She sat up, nursing her temples.

"Lousy hangover" she groaned, blinking repeatedly to try and remove the blur in her vision.

Skyla wasn't a lightweight when it came to drinking. It usually took a lot to get her hammered and even when this happened, her hangover usually cleared up pretty quickly. Even so, that Smoking Skull had been too much, even for her.

At first, she struggled to remember anything about the previous night. The last thing she remembered was taking those vodka shots.

Eventually, however, it all came flooding back to her.

Vodka. Ryan. Flirting. Feelings. Making out. Vomit. Sleepy time.

Her cheeks flushed red as she remembered how she and Ryan had opened up to one another. How Ryan had simply dived in like there was no tomorrow. Honestly, she had been surprised by this. She didn't think Ryan had it in him.

It was at this point that she noticed the Smoking Skull had been replaced with a glass of water.

"Oh, that's right. Ryan got this for me."

She took a long, healthy swig from the glass, gulping the water down until just a few sips were left at the bottom.

Skyla then looked over to the other side of the bed, expecting to find Ryan fast asleep.

However, he wasn't there. Instead, she found the shape of where he had been sleeping, along with an imprint in the pillow.

"Huh. Maybe he needed to go the to bathroom" she thought to herself, deciding to adjust the sheets where Ryan had been sleeping.

But Skyla saw something that concerned her when she went to sort out Ryan's pillow, she noticed a dark mark within the area where Ryan's head would've been, discovering it to be damp when she felt it.

"Has Ryan been...crying?"

Either he had, or he had just been drooling.

She frowned before noticing light shine out from underneath the door to the bathroom.

"I'd better check on him and see if he's alright".

Clambering out of bed, Skyla went over to the door, gently knocking on it.

"Ryan?" She said softly, yet loud enough for Ryan to hear. "Are you okay?"

No reply.

"Ryan? Are you in there? Look, I'm worried about you. I just want to know if you're okay".

For a while, there was silence.

However, Skyla was eventually greeted by the sound of the bathroom lock being taken off, indicating that Ryan had heard her.

As the door slowly opened, she really hoped that Ryan was okay. The sight before here pretty much confirmed to her that this was not the case.

The trainer looked as if he had been dragged through a hedge backwards, with his hair a complete mess. His pyjamas were also heavily crumpled in several places. In addition, significant patches of sweat had formed under his armpits. But by far, the most telling aspect about Ryan at this time were his eyes. They were the eyes of a broken man, red raw from crying and with an expression that seemed like he had been awake for several hours already at this point.

It felt like an eternity before the trainer finally managed to utter six words.

"What the hell have I done?"

"Ryan..."

"I...I broke the commitment. I mean, properly broke it."

He anxiously ran his fingers through his hair.

"Oh god, it feels like I've killed someone".

Skyla could easily tell that the stress of the whole situation was finally starting to set in on Ryan.

She decided to try and calm the young trainer down, gently placing both her hands on his cheeks.

He very slightly flinched.

"Ryan, you haven't killed anyone. You're still here. I'm still here. Jason and Selina are probably still here and as long as we're all here, our Pokemon will be here".

Ryan shook his head, his eyes looking as if they were about to swell up again.

"No. You don't know that" he replied, beginning to nervously pace back and forth across the room, shaking. "I mean, what if...what if she finds out what we did? You don't know what that girl could be capable of"

"Look, Ryan, as far as I can tell, yes. This girl is a monster. But I'm pretty sure that she won't attempt to kill any of us".

"HOW WOULD YOU KNOW? YOU'VE NEVER LIVED WITH HER!" Yelled Ryan, his eyes starting to run again.

As much as Skyla's hangover was starting to fade, Ryan's voice still caused her pain, causing her to clutch her head.

"Not so loud..."

As the short headache subsided, the Mistralton Gym Leader sighed.

"Perhaps it's time I told you a little story about myself" the gym leader said solemnly, sitting down on the bed.

Initially confused, Ryan got the message, sitting down on the bed next to her.

"Allow me to take you back a few years" She began. "It was...well, it was just after I became the gym leader of this place. I was in a very happy relationship with my...boyfriend"

Ryan could tell that it physically hurt her to refer to this previous man as her boyfriend.

Skyla collected her thoughts as best she could and continued.

"Him and I were on top of the world. No matter what happened, we always seemed to be able to pull through. It was almost like we were meant to be together".

Ryan eventually found the courage to ask "What happened?"

"Honestly, even now, I'm not sure what happened. But whatever happened caused him to change. He became more controlling and possessive. He didn't want me going anywhere or doing anything without him being there. He also didn't want me hanging out with quite a few of my friends, Elesa included. The constant invasions of privacy didn't help either."

Skyla and Ryan looked at each other.

"Sound familiar?"

Ryan couldn't deny that there was an uncanny similarity to what he was going through and what she was describing to him.

"It eventually came to a head about nine months after I took over as the gym leader here. One night, him and I got into an argument. I can't remember why, but I can definitely say that the argument was heated. Normally, I would try and avoid getting into a confrontation like that with him, but for once, I was looking to straighten things out. Eventually, I ended up storming out of the house and seeking one of my guy friends for emotional support."

Skyla smiled.

"Let me tell ya something, this guy knew just what to say. No matter what the situation, he always knew how to make you feel better. Unfortunately, whilst I had been hoping to avoid any more trouble, trouble found me instead. My boyfriend somehow found out where I had been and had followed me there. When my guy friend opened the door, he had honestly never looked angrier in the entire time him and I had been together. He just came in breathing poison, accusing me that I had been having an affair with my friend".

Skyla stopped.

"For the record, I wasn't."

This earned a small smile from Ryan.

"Anyway, whilst my boyfriend was busy spitting fire, my guy friend was just trying to get him to back down, trying to avoid getting physical. Unfortunately for him, my boyfriend was the kind of guy who would usually end up throwing the first punch in a fight, which was just what happened then and there. He almost instantly regretted this decision when my friend simply landed a right hook on him and promptly drove him head first into a brick wall"

"Sounds painful"

"Certainly looked it. But yeah, by this point, he could easily tell that he wasn't going to get anywhere with this, so he just shuffled out of the door, clutching his face and I remember shouting out to him as he left "Consider yourself dumped". And that was it. I never saw him again after that".

Ryan took a minute to digest everything.

"Look, what I'm trying to say, Ryan, is that no matter how deep the hole is you've been dug into, you're always going to have friends to help you out. You have your Pokemon, you have Jason, you have Selina, you have Brendan, you have May, you have Nate and you most certainly have me."

Ryan smiled.

"Thank you, Skyla. For everything".

"I can tell that you're not lying about Lucy, by the way." She added. "I've met quite a few guys. I can tell when someone is telling a sob story just for sympathy. I didn't get that feeling when I met you"

"That's good to know. Thank you".

Ryan sighed.

"So what does this mean for us?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well...how much of last night do you remember?"

"Not a lot. Then again, I still remember the important details. I got drunk, rather aggressively flirted with you, kissed you, you opened up your feelings about me, I kissed you again, we made out for a bit and then I passed out".

"Okay, so I admitted that, you know, I sort of like you and you...well, you were..."

He stopped himself.

"Oh what am I saying?! Of course you don't like me like that. That was booze! What the hell was I thinking?!" He declared, burying his face in his hands.

"Wait, Ryan". She said softly to him. "It's okay, it...It wasn't actually the booze talking".

She pulled Ryan's hands away from his face.

"I do like you, Ryan. Really, I do. You might just be the nicest guy I've ever had the pleasure of coming across."

She cupped his face in her hands.

"Besides, it seems like you could use a good woman in your life right about now".

Ryan began to blush red. This was genuine. This was actually happening.

"So let me ask you something: what does this mean for us?"

Ryan couldn't speak at first. For a couple of seconds, all he could do was move his lips, trying desperately to come up with a good answer.

"I-I-I-I-I...dunno." He replied, his mind going all over the place. "I-I mean, we...haven't really known each other for that long".

"That doesn't have to be a problem. We can just go along with it and see if it works. You only live once, after all".

Ryan quickly racked his brain, trying to understand just how and why he had gotten into this situation. Was it destiny? Or was it just sheer dumb luck?

"I, err...I-I guess that's true."

Skyla gave Ryan a look.

"You're still not sure how to answer, are you?"

"W-Well...no. This is...This is a bit overwhelming for me. Besides, we may like each other, but we're both complete opposites. You're world famous. You're a perfect ten all day, every day. Me? I'm just a minor celebrity. Before that, I was just a spoiled rich kid. I'm usually a five, three at the moment, six on a good day. I'm short, I'm nerdy and I can't find a girlfriend to save my life. According to society, we shouldn't be here like this."

"There's only one thing I can say to that, Ryan"

"What?"

"Screw society".

Punctuating her point, Skyla shut her eyes, pulled Ryan in and planted a long kiss on his lips.

This time, there was no resistance from the trainer. In fact, he ended up shutting his eyes and embracing Skyla as they kissed.

Here and now, Ryan didn't feel worried or afraid. He felt at peace. He felt happy.

As the two continued, time seemed to stand still as the two found themselves in perfect-

_*Knock Knock Knock*_

The sudden knocking at the bedroom door surprised the two, making them quickly end their passionate embrace as if it had never happened.

"Erm, c-come it!" Stammered Skyla.

As the door opened slightly, Selina poked her head into the room.

"Hey, just a quick heads-up about breakfast. I just went and looked in your fridge and you may be out of milk when all is said and done".

"Oh. Erm...okay. Th-thanks" replied Skyla, awkwardly.

What followed was a long silence between the three.

"I just went and ruined a moment between you two, didn't I?"

Ryan could only nod, an unimpressed expression on his face.

The expression on Selina's face changed to one that just simply said "Oops".

"Sorry. My bad". She replied before leaving the room, slowly shutting the door behind her.

* * *

As much as the trio of trainers had enjoyed their time with Skyla, they knew they had to get going.

When it was time for them to leave, got dressed, had their breakfast, got their stuff together and said their goodbyes outside the gym.

"Thanks for letting us stay the night, Skyla" Jason said to the gym leader.

"Yeah. We'd love to stay longer, but Ryan's got an adventure to finish".

"Hey, that's alright. You're always welcome here."

It was at this point when Ryan and Skyla both faced each other.

"We'd better just take a step back and let these two have their moment" Selina muttered, as she shuffled back a bit.

As Jason and Blastoise shuffled back with her, Ryan and Skyla didn't know how to start.

"Erm...well...This has been a thing". Ryan said, chuckling nervously.

"Heh, yeah. It's been fun though, right?"

"Oh, yeah. Mind you, I think "enlightening" may be a better word to describe it. Who would've thought you and I would end up like this?"

"I'm gonna miss you, Ryan".

"I'll miss you, too".

Ryan pondered for a moment.

"You know, you could... well, come with us, if you want. I mean, we could always use a little bit more company".

Skyla sighed.

"I'd love to, I honestly would. But I've still got a lot of stuff to look after here and I can't just drop it all so suddenly. But don't you worry. If you make it to the League, I'll be cheering you on".

Ryan smiled.

"Thank you" He replied as the two shared a tender embrace.

"Get a room, you two" Jason muttered, a response which was greeted with an elbow from Selina.

However, as the two lovebirds broke the hug, there was a question that was starting to bug Ryan and he had to get an answer.

"Hey Skyla?"

"Yes?"

"You said that I was the nicest guy you had ever come across. Did you...did you really mean that?"

Skyla flashed Ryan a smile that seemed to melt his heart.

"Of course, Ryan. I wouldn't say something like that if I didn't mean-"

" **Ice Beam!** "

"LOOK OUT!" Yelled Selina, tackling Ryan and Skyla out of the way as the Ice Beam attack narrowly missed, freezing a patch of ground behind where they had been standing.

The look on Ryan's face had changed to one of fear.

"Why now?" He muttered to himself and he and Skyla picked themselves up.

The group of four turned to face the direction the attack had come from, finding (much to their annoyance) Lucy and her Articuno hovering above, looking down on them.

"There you are, Ryan!" Lucy called down to her fiancé. "I was beginning to think that I would have to resort to more extreme measures to find you."

Blastoise growled, his hands clenching into fists. Ryan signaled for his friend to stand down.

"Is this her?" Skyla asked.

"Yep. Skyla, meet Lucy".

"Quit stalling, you". Lucy said bluntly. "Now, in case you haven't noticed, I've been looking all over for you and I'm really starting to lose my patience. What I'm going to do is offer you a choice. Option one is that you give up, come with me and we can get this whole thing over and done with. Option two is that you and your friends put up a fight, get destroyed and I take you back anyway. Option three is that you turn and run and I resort to more extreme options to get you. So what's it going to be?"

Jason and Selina both reached for their pokeballs. However, they both stopped when Skyla stepped in front of Ryan.

"Now honey, if you don't mind me saying, I don't think that sounds particularly fair on Ryan, here. He's just a guy who wants to go off and become a champion and yet you want to hold him back" Skyla said to Lucy. "The way you're speaking paints Ryan as the bad guy here. But from what I can tell, it's the other way around. All I have to ask is...why? Why do you have to be like this?"

Initially, Lucy was taken aback by Skyla's attitude, surprised at how the gym leader had been so quick to call her out.

She then scoffed.

"And all of this matters to you...why? You don't know me. You don't know Ryan, either. So why on Earth would you care about what happens to _him_?"

A mischievous smile slipped across Skyla's face.

"You really want to know?"

"Since it involves my fiancé, I think I'm entitled to some sort of answer".

"Alright...watch closely".

Skyla turned around to face Ryan, dropping the trainer a sly wink before suddenly pulling him forwards and passionately kissing him.

This was now the third time in the space of several hours that Ryan and Skyla had snogged, but this was easily the best of the three (probably because 1) Skyla wasn't flat-out drunk and 2) Her hangover had mostly worn off).

As this happened, the look on Lucy's face changed from one of shock and surprise to one of pure rage.

Eventually, Skyla pulled away, leaving Ryan in shock for a moment, the Mistralton gym leader turning back to face the now enraged Lucy.

"I care about him...because he's my boyfriend" She said to her, putting an arm around Ryan.

Ryan had seen Lucy angry before. Heck, he had been on the receiving end of her anger more than once. However, this was a whole new level of anger that was showing on her face right now.

"You...You...You..." She growled, looking as if smoke was about to start billowing out of her ears.

Eventually, she was able to come up with a proper reply.

"YOU _BITCH_!" She shrieked. " **ARTICUNO! ICE BEAM!** "

The group dodged out of the way of the attack, with Skyla going for her pokeballs.

"Oh, you wanna dance? Let's dance! **SWOOBAT! SWANNA! SKARMORY!** "

As the three Pokemon retaliated against Lucy and Articuno, Skyla looked over at the trainers.

"I'll hold her off for as long as I can! You'd better get going!"

Ryan rushed up and gave Skyla one last lingering kiss.

"Thank you"

With that, the group turned tail and bolted away from the fight and out of Mistralton City.

As they ran, Ryan looked over his shoulder at Skyla holding her own behind them.

He couldn't help but give a little chuckle.

"What a woman".


	13. The Twisty Mountain Road

As the group continued running along Route 7, the infamous Twist Mountain began to appear in the distance. Usually, it would've been closed off due to landslides, but today the entrance was completely clear.

"Okay, we're almost there" Ryan said to his friends. "Just a little bit further".

Just then, however, they heard a familiar screeching noise in the distance. As Ryan looked over his shoulder, he spotted Lucy and her Articuno looming in the distance and rapidly gaining on them.

"OH CRAP! I SEE HER! SHE'S BEARING DOWN ON US LIKE A REALLY ANGRY...THING! KEEP RUNNING!"

" **Articuno! Ice Beam!** "

Once again, Articuno began firing Ice Beams at them.

However, as the group began dodging them, they eventually reached an opening into the deeper parts of the mountain. Quickly, Ryan, Jason, Selina and finally Blastoise barrelled down the path and into the tunnel, with an Ice Beam blocking up the opening.

The group stopped to catch their breath.

"That god that ordeal is over with" Panted Selina.

"She sees Ryan making out with Skyla, showing that he clearly doesn't like her anymore, yet she still wants to marry him. Why?" Asked Jason.

"It's because I'm something she isn't: Stable. She may be notably more high maintenance and sophisticated than yours truly, but her overall stability is lacking. Plus, I'm probably a bit nicer than quite a few of those other rich snobs she's probably dated. Anyway, we'd best get away from here before she finds a way to break through the ice"

The four began to walk away from the entrance and deeper into the tunnel system, trying to find a way through to Icirrus City. This, however, proved to be more than a bit challenging, as they tunnel was completely dark and the trainers had to rely on short bursts of flame from Ryan's Growlithe to illuminate the cave. This method slowed the group down a little bit, however, as they had to walk forwards a few feet before Growlithe shot off another burst of flame.

However, as they got deeper into the system, they noticed the beam of a searchlight not too far down the tunnel.

"Do you think they're friendly?"

"I don't know. Let's find out. HELLO DOWN THERE!"

They saw the beam of the flashlight jerk in their direction.

"I think they heard us"

They then heard voices further down the tunnel. It was hard to make out due to the echoing nature of the tunnel, but they could make out a few words, like "Commander", "voice", "check it out" and "Yes, ma'am".

The light began to get closer to them.

Whilst the group were hoping that the person was friendly, they readied their pokeballs in preparation for a worst case scenario.

"Why do I get the impression that something bad is about to happen?" Selina asked the others.

"Don't worry. Whatever happens, we'll get out of here" Ryan reassured her.

"You kids sure about that?" Said a voice.

The trainers looked over to see where the voice had come from.

A man was standing before them, pointing a flashlight at them. This man was dressed in a strange spacesuit-like outfit with a small yellow "G" on the front, complete with a short round haircut, coloured in cyan.

A Galactic Grunt. Followed by dozens more Galactic Grunts.

"Well that's not good" Noted Selina.

Their leader, a tall, purple haired woman in a spacesuit of her own, stepped forwards.

"Okay, look" Ryan said to her. "We're not here to cause any trouble. We're just on the way to Opelucid City, so if you just let us through, we'd gladly be out of-"

"Save it, kid" Jupiter replied. "I'm sorry to say this, but you won't be going anywhere anytime soon. At least, not while we're busy."

Some of the other grunts then proceeded to lock binders around the waists of the trainers, Blastoise and Growlithe, locking their arms and preventing them from retaliating.

"Now then, back to business" She said to the grunts as they turned around and made their way back down the tunnel.

As they did so, Ryan was struggling to break his binder.

"Don't worry. We'll let you out once we've finished" Jupiter told them. "So long as you lot don't start getting on our nerves".

* * *

Once Team Galactic had secured the trainers and their pokemon in a small cavern, they set about digging into the rock with high tech drilling equipment. As this was going on, Jupiter was on the radio to one of the other galactic commanders.

"Saturn, this is Jupiter. We've located the cavern. We're proceeding to cut through the rock now".

"Excellent. Report back once you and your group have recovered the target".

"Roger that. Jupiter out".

Jupiter rubbed her hands together.

"At this rate, we'll be out of here in no time" she muttered to herself.

As the trainers watched angrily, Team Galactic continued to dig deeper into the rock. They were watching closely, trying to figure out what they were up to.

"I don't like this one bit" Whispered Jason. "Whenever a criminal organisation does something like this, it's usually bad news. But if Team Galactic are involved, that makes it even worse. These guys almost make Team Plasma look sane".

Next to him, Selina was getting rapidly angrier, as she was dying for something to eat and her binder was hurting her wrists.

"YOU LOT HAD BETTER GET US SOMETHING TO EAT OR I'M GOING TO HAVE TO RESORT TO EATING RYAN!" She screeched, madly squirming and trying to get out of her binder.

Jupiter rolled her eyes.

"You, get those kids to shut up" she said to one of the grunts.

The grunt in question walked over to the trainers.

"Hey, you kids shut up before I do something I'm going to regret" the grunt said to them, rudely.

"Not before we break loose and mess your face up!" Retorted Ryan.

The grunt then leaned in closer.

"Don't worry" he whispered to them in a much friendlier tone. "I'll get you guys out of here in a minute. Just sit tight until my friends get here"

He then lifted up his wrist and spoke into a strange metallic bracelet attached to it.

"Dawn, Barry, I'm ready. Green light"

He returned to the trainers.

"You'll be out of here in a minute. Just be patient".

"Well...thanks" Whispered Jason. "So then...who are you?"

A wry grin appeared on the guy's face.

"You'll find out soon enough."

The grunt then stepped back from the trainers.

"Yeah. That's what I thought" He said out loud, his voice returning to the rude tone he used earlier.

As the group continued digging, the trainers wondered who the grunt that spoke to them was.

"He certainly seemed friendly" Ryan said to the others. "Maybe it's another league champion. I mean, we've seen Brendan and Ethan, so another one wouldn't be very surprising".

Just then, the grunts broke through a small section of the wall to find a dark tunnel, leading deeper into the mountain.

"We've found it" Jupiter said to herself. "Saturn, this is Jupiter. Target has been located. Moving to secure"

"Copy that. Jupiter, Out"

Team Galactic then set off down the tunnel, dragging their hostages with them, with six grunts staying behind to protect the tunnel entrance.

"I doubt anyone will come our way, but stay here just to make sure" Jupiter had told them.

As the rest of the group made their way down the tunnel, everything was quiet to begin with.

Then, suddenly, the voice of one of the grunts came screaming over the radio.

"COMMANDER, THIS IS G-1! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK! SOME CRAZY TRAINER WITH AN INFERNAPE RUSHED US! WE COULD SERIOUSLY USE SOME BACKUP OVER HERE!"

In the background, they could hear the sound of flames and a faint yell of "I'M FINING ALL OF YOU!"

"Look, chill out" Jupiter told the grunt on the other end. "You guys can take them. It's just one guy!"

"Guess again, Jupiter" Said a voice close to them.

The whole group turned to look at the very same grunt that had assured the trainers that they would be getting out of there.

"I can't let you get away with this, Jupiter" he said to her.

Then, suddenly, the grunt tore off the spacesuit and revealed the cyan bowl haircut as just a wig.

Before them stood a young trainer with short black hair, dressed in a white t-shirt, a black jacket, blue trousers and brandishing a poketch on his wrist.

This was Lucas. The Sinnoh Region Champion.

Whilst the trainers were happy to see him, the same couldn't be said for Team Galactic.

Jupiter immediately knew they were in trouble.

"You five, hold him off! The rest of you, on me!" She told the grunts.

As the rest of Team Galactic sprinted off into the tunnel, the five grunts stayed behind to hold off the Champion.

"So that's how it's going to be then?" He asked as the grunts pulled out their pokeballs.

Lucas produced a pokeball of his own.

"Very well then. **Go! Torterra!** "

As the five grunts unleashed a whole horde of Golbat, Torterra just simply knocked them all down with a powerful Leaf Storm attack.

"See? I told you he was another league Champion" Ryan said to his friends.

As the grunts turned around and ran, Lucas went over to the trainers and began helping them out of their binds.

"You guys alright?" He asked them as they clambered onto their feet.

"Yeah. Fine thanks" Replied Ryan. "By the way, two things. Firstly, I apologise for the comment about messing your face up. I didn't know it was you in that disguise. Secondly, it's an honour to meet you".

They shook hands.

Just then, a male trainer with blonde hair came barrelling down the tunnel after Team Galactic in a flash of orange, tailed by his Infernape.

"Don't you ever slow down, Barry?" Lucas asked the trainer.

"NEVER WHEN THESE CLOWNS ARE INVOLVED!" He yelled back as he and Infernape disappeared into the darkness.

Lucas rolled his eyes.

"Some things never change" He muttered.

He looked back at the other 3 trainers.

"You'd better get out of here. There's no telling what Team Galactic have up their sleeves".

"No way. We're coming with you. You guys could use all the help you can get".

"They're right, you know" Called out a girl with a Piplup perched on her shoulder as she ran up to Lucas. "We don't properly know what Team Galactic is planning yet".

"Good point, Dawn. Alright then you three, I hope you can keep up".

Lucas produced his jacket and flat cap, putting them on him before withdrawing Torterra and blasting off down the tunnel, with the other four following after him. They soon arrived at the end of the tunnel and in a small room. In front of them was a large stone door, with Barry and Infernape trying to open it. However, with a lot of help from the others and their Pokémon, the door was eventually forced open.

However, they found themselves getting hailed with Poision Stings from various Golbat. This, however, failed to stop them from pushing into the room.

As they fought on, Ryan could see what Team Galactic was after.

There, in the middle of the room, stood a giant, immobile figure.

Regigigas.

Ryan just stood there, staring up at the immobile Pokémon. He literally couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Ryan, you battling these guys or what?" Jason called to him.

Ryan snapped back to reality and brought out the rest of his team, where they then proceeded to launch various attacks at Team Galactic.

The battle raged on furiously, but no matter how hard the grunts fought, the trainers gradually wore down their pokemon and captured them with Ariados's String. Eventually, the six trainers surrounded the last Galactic member standing: Jupiter.

"You lot just don't give up, do you?"

"That's because we know we'll always win in the end, no matter how many grunts you lot throw at us".

"I think you'll find that things are going to change"

"Tell that to Interpol".

" **Ariados! String** **shot!** "

Jason's Ariados then proceeded to tie Jupiter in more of its String.

"Well, thank god that's over and done with" Dawn said to the others. "Right, we'd better let Interpol know about this".

* * *

Thankfully, it didn't take too long for Interpol to reach Twist Mountain.

As the police proceeded to take the members of Team Galactic into custody and examine any evidence, the six trainers met in the middle of the chamber.

"Well then, you three, thanks for your help back there." Lucas told the three trainers.

"That's alright my friend" Ryan replied. "But before we go, we have a question to ask".

"Sure. Go ahead."

"I know that something big is going on here. Firstly, Team Aqua appears, then Team Plasma appears alongside them, then Team Galactic attacks the Mossdeep Space Centre, then Team Rocket attack Nimbasa City, now this. Just what is happening?"

"Well, there is much debate as to what might be happening" Dawn replied. "Many different things have been happening, but this much we do know: a majority of the action has indeed been centred around the Unova Region. Any overseas action has been at places of interest, like the Mossdeep Space Centre. We're also aware of the fact that Team Aqua and Team Plasma are indeed working together. In fact, that's what we fear. We fear that the other teams have joined forces with the two to form one superteam. What's more, the assets of Team Galactic appear to now be in control of Saturn, since we have been unable to track down Charon, meaning that Jupiter and, maybe, Mars have been tempted back."

"Well, what about Team Magma? We've heard nothing from them".

"Yes, and that's actually quite worrying, as we don't know what they're planning. As for the others, the Team Rocket assets are still in the hands of the admins who tried to revive the Team back in the Johto Region and team aqua is still under the control of Archie. Oh, and one more thing. A few weeks ago, Interpol sent an undercover officer onboard the Plasma Frigate. Whilst there was very little she could find, she did find out something worrying: Ghetsis is no longer in control of Team Plasma".

This shocked the three trainers.

"Don't worry, though. We'll be ready for whatever they throw at us".

"Rightly so. Anyway, we've got to get going. I need to battle Drayden. See ya!"

"Yeah. See ya!"

The two groups then headed off in different directions, Ryan and his friends heading along the tunnel towards Icirrus City, and the others staying behind to clean up the mess.

Finally, the trio of trainers stepped through the end of the tunnel and out into the open. Ahead of them, stood Icirrus City.

"Alright then, I think the best thing to do would be to stop here and rest our Pokémon before continuing into Opelucid City".

"Trap!" Called out a voice.

The three trainers turned around to see Trapinch and Deerling standing there.

"What's wrong, you guys?" Ryan asked them.

Deerling and Trapinch both nodded at each other.

Suddenly, they began to glow brightly.

The trainers watched as the two Pokémon began to gradually grow and change.

Eventually, when the glowing subsided, two new Pokémon were standing before them.

Vibrava and Sawsbuck.

"Well...That's fortunate". Ryan said to the others, pleasantly surprised.

* * *

"H-hello?"

"Hi, Jim. It's me"

"O-oh. Hello Eileen"

"Say, are you alright? You sound a bit flustered".

"You could say that".

"What's happened? Is Lucy rough-housing again?"

"Have a listen"

Ryan's mother was promptly greeted by distant sounds of angry screaming, interjected by the odd sound of objects smashing.

"Holy crap, she's pissed."

"Tell me about it. I'm the one who has to deal with it at the moment"

"Let me guess: did Ryan escape again?"

"No. Well, actually, yes. But it's worse than that".

"What do you mean "It's worse than that?""

"You haven't heard?"

"Heard what? Tell me!"

"Do you want me to start from the beginning?"

"Yes please"

"Alright. Well, it all really started after she lost Ryan in Driftveil City. Now, this would usually make her quite angry, but she told herself that she wouldn't let it get to her this time, that she would just keep her head down and focus on finding Ryan"

"Best way to go about it"

"Right. So, after that, Ryan seemingly went dark. We didn't hear anything from our contacts about him for the rest of the day and the whole of the following day as well. However, just a few hours after Lucy went off to bed that night, we received a call from a contact telling us that Ryan was spending the night in Mistralton City. We told Lucy this morning and before we could say "Extremespeed", she headed out to find Ryan again. We didn't hear anything for several hours after that. She literally returned just a couple of hours ago".

"No Ryan?"

"No Ryan. But it's even worse than that. According to Lucy, she spotted Ryan and the local gym leader sharing a kiss"

For a moment, Ryan's mother was silent.

"Erm, Eileen, are you there?"

Lucy's father eventually got a reply.

"What? Oh, y-yeah. I'm still here. Just a little surprised is all".

"So was I. Out of all the people Ryan could have ended up with, he ends up with Skyla".

"I know. Our son's been pretty lucky with finding new friends as of recent. First the Hoenn League Champion, then the Johto League Champion, then our region's champion and now...well, you get the idea".

"Yeah. Hey, I know I probably shouldn't be saying this, but I'm...actually kind of envious of him".

"If only you were twenty years younger, am I right?"

"Heh. Yeah. Anyway, I'd better get going. I'll try and calm Lucy down and perhaps this whole thing will get her to leave Ryan alone"

"Hope so."

"Yeah. Anyway, bye".

"Goodbye"

As Jim hung up, Eileen placed the phone back into the receiver, processing what Jim had told her.

Ryan. And Skyla. Kissing.

It felt as if a million questions were running through her head at that moment.

Why Ryan? Why Skyla? Since when were they a thing? Did Ryan make the move on Skyla or was it the other way round? Was Ryan just incredibly lucky? Had he been hiding the fact that he was actually a natural-born Casanova all this time?

She struggled to understand how this had happened. Up until Lucy showed up, Ryan had never had a girlfriend. He had always been more comfortable hanging out with his family or his friends. Heck, the only girl in his age group she had ever seen him have a proper conversation with was Selina and even then, they were only ever friends. Asides from that, though, Ryan had never looked comfortable around girls his age.

Eileen always thought that Ryan had gotten this part of himself from his father. When she was about Ryan's age, she was one of those kids who often enjoyed the club scene, spending most nights going out and partying. She new a thing or two about socializing with people. Heck, that's how she met Ryan's father. But even when she was 18, she always had one or two crushes that she would never be able to develop a relationship with, other than "just friends".

Fast forward several years and Ryan, the kind of kid who probably wouldn't even look at a nightclub, is found canoodling with a girl that really should be miles out of his league.

"Hello-o? Earth to Eileen!"

The voice of her husband brought Eileen back to reality. Looking over, she found Frank standing right next to her, sipping on a cup of coffee.

"You looked like you were a million miles away there"

"Sorry. I was just having a little think after hearing about how things are going with Jim"

"Oh, okay. So how's it going on his end?"

"Badly. Lucy's having a tantrum again".

"Did Ryan slip through her fingers?"

"Yes, but that's not the reason why Lucy's throwing a hissy".

Ryan's father reacted to this first piece of news with a small fist pump.

"Wait, so if that's not the main reason, what is?" He asked, taking another sip.

"Apparently, Ryan's gone and hooked up with another girl"

"Oh that little devil" He replied jokingly. "Not that I blame him, mind you. Any idea on who the fair maiden happens to be?"

"Skyla"

Frank spluttered on his coffee.

"I'm sorry, I thought you said "Skyla"".

"That's exactly what I said, Frank. Skyla. As in, The Mistralton City Gym Leader."

"What!? When did this happen? How did this happen?"

"Your guess is as good as mine"

Frank took a moment to process everything.

"Wow. I mean, I know Ryan's been pretty lucky with his friends as of late, but this is just...Holy crap!"

He paused for a few moments before eventually saying one word

"Nice!"


	14. Myths and (Pocket) Monsters

As the three trainers and Blastoise arrived in Opelucid City, it was early in the afternoon. People were going around their daily business as the minutes ticked on. Above, a large flock of Pidove flew overhead.

The goal of the trainers was simple this time. Find Drayden. If he accepted Ryan's challenge and Ryan was successful in beating him, then Ryan would have one more badge to get before he could finally take on the Unova League.

But before that, they decided to head to the Pokémon centre to have a break and heal their Pokémon.

As they did so, Ryan was busy pondering a strategy for fighting Drayden.

"My best chance for success would probably be with Vibrava. Asides from that, I guess I'll just have to be prepared for the unexpected."

But then, as they were waiting for their Pokémon to heal up, a good question came to Ryan: What would he do after he'd taken on the Unova League?

He'd never actually thought about this before, but soon realised that he would eventually have to if he wanted to continue his journey.

He thought about this for a few moments.

"Hmm. The Hoenn Battle Frontier sounds tempting" He thought to himself. "That being said, so does the Sinnoh Battle Frontier. Maybe I'll try my hand at contests. Or perhaps I'll try the world tournament route".

He didn't have time to think much further about that as the nurse handed back his Pokémon.

With that, the three trainers headed out of the Pokémon centre in search of the Opelucid City Gym.

"So, know how you're going to battle Drayden?" Selina asked him.

"Not just yet, but I've got some idea about what I'm going to do" Ryan replied.

But then, the peace and serenity of Opelucid City was shattered as some sort of explosion sound was heard coming from the vicinity of Tubeline Bridge, followed by a loud crash.

"What the heck was that?" Asked Jason, concerned.

"I don't know, but it didn't sound too good" Ryan replied. "We'd better check that out".

The three trainers, along with a few other concerned citizens dashed in the direction of Tubeline Bridge.

Once the group got their, however, they discovered more than they'd originally bargained for. What they'd expected was for something along the lines of Team Plasma attacking. However, what they discovered was arguably worse. Between the entrances at Routes 8 and 9, their was no middle section of the bridge. It had just completely disappeared.

As the three trainers precariously looked down into the abyss, they spotted the middle section of the bridge lying at the bottom in a heap of rubble.

"What on Earth caused this to happen?" Selina asked.

"I have a decent idea, young lady" replied a gruff voice.

The trainers looked round to see Drayden, the Opelucid City Gym Leader, looking into the abyss with them.

"Ah, hello there Drayden" Ryan said to him.

"Greetings, young Ryan." He replied. "I received word from Skyla that you were coming here to challenge me to a Gym battle".

"I'll get to that in a minute" Ryan replied. "Firstly, do you have any idea what happened here?"

Drayden leaned over and rubbed part of the singed metalwork that had supported the bridge before sniffing his fingers.

"That's Sulphur." He told them. "By the looks of it, the type that's most commonly used in explosives. This was no mere accident. This is an act of terrorism we're looking at. Thankfully, as far as I can tell, no one was hurt".

"But who caused this?"

"I'm not sure, but I have a feeling that Team Rocket might have something to do with this".

"WELL, YOU'RE CERTAINLY RIGHT ABOUT THAT!" Yelled a voice from the other side.

As the others looked across, they spotted Ethan waving to them.

"HI GUYS!"

"ETHAN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

"THE OTHERS AND I MANAGED TO INTERCEPT A RADIO SIGNAL FROM TEAM ROCKET ORDERING FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF TUBELINE BRIDGE. WE TRIED TO GET HERE SOONER SO WE COULD STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING, BUT TO NO AVAIL. STILL, WE FOUND THE BOMBER!"

Silver then walked onto the bridge next to him, dragging an unconscious Team Rocket grunt with him.

"THERE IS AN UNDENIABLE SCENT OF SULPHUR ON HIM, SO IT'S ALMOST CERTAIN HE'S THE BOMBER. WE'LL BE LEAVING HIM FOR INTERPOL TO PICK UP!"

"GREAT WORK! THANKS!"

"DON'T MENTION IT!"

As Ethan and Silver disappeared back towards Icirrus City, the Xtransceiver on Drayden's belt began to ring.

As he answered it, the face of Clair, the Blackthorn City Gym Leader, appeared onscreen.

"Drayden, we need your help down near Striaton City. A group of Team Rocket grunts have shown up and are ravaging the Dreamyard in search of Latios and Latias."

"Roger. I'm on my way" he replied before hanging up and turning to face Ryan.

"Now, about our gym battle..." He began.

"Don't worry about me" Ryan replied. "You've currently got more important things going on right now. I'll wait".

Drayden couldn't help but smile.

"Spoken like a true gentleman" he said to him. "Actually, what I was going to say was that whilst I won't be able to battle you, it just so happens that Iris is currently staying at the gym, so I'm sure she'll battle you".

Ryan was amazed. He would be battling Iris. battling Drayden would've been a big honour in its own right, but Iris? She was a former Unova League Champion. in fact, she was last person to hold the League throne before Nate, the current champion, arrived.

"Wow. That's amazing! Thanks!" Ryan replied.

"Don't mention it. Now then, I must be off. Farewell, trainers" he said to them before heading back towards Opelucid City and presumably, towards Lacunosa Town.

"Alright then, you guys. We know where we must go now". Ryan said to them.

"The Gym?"

"The Gym".

The three trainers then headed away from the bridge and back into Opelucid City.

* * *

As the trainers stepped through the doors of the gym, it felt to them like they were stepping through the doors of a medieval castle, with all the gothic design and stone dragons attached to the ceiling.

Further down the corridor, stood a small figure. They couldn't see much of the person, but the main feature they could make out was a massive mess of long purple hair.

Ryan figured that Iris, the former Unova Region Champion, was hiding underneath.

The figure, aware of their presence, turned to face them, revealing that it was indeed Iris.

"Hi there!" She said to the trainers. "Are you looking for Drayden? If so, then I'm afraid to say he's busy at the moment".

"We know." Ryan replied. "He told us on the way here".

"So, why are you here?"

"Well, on the way out, he told us that you would be here at the gym to accept any challenges".

Iris raised an eyebrow.

"You mean..."

"Yes, Iris. I'm here to challenge you".

A smile appeared across Iris's face.

"Challenge accepted. Although, be warned. Whilst I'm no longer the League Champion, I'm still a tough fighter".

"I'd be concerned if you weren't".

"Anyway, we must get this battle underway. Come."

Iris then lead the group through the waiting doors and into a large room with a battlefield in the middle.

As Ryan took to one end, Iris took to the other, with Selina acting as referee.

"Seeing as I'll be temporarily taking over from Drayden, I'll be using some of his Pokémon. Okay?"

"Fine by me. I'm ready".

Iris reached into a small chest nearby and produced a pokeball.

"Alrighty then. **Go! Druddigon!** "

As Druddigon appeared on the battlefield, Ryan pulled out one of his pokeballs, knowing which Pokémon to send out first.

" **Vibrava! Go!** "

Ryan decided not to waste any time and get down to the first attack.

" **Alright Vibrava. Use DragonBreath!** "

Vibrava then exhaled a mighty gust of energy from its mouth. However, Druddigon simply dodged out of the way.

" **Druddigon! Use Dragon Tail!** "

In retaliation, Druddigon's tail turned blue as it swung it at Vibrava. However, Vibrava reacted the same way Druddigon did and dodged out of the way.

This went on for a few more minutes, with the two Pokémon launching attacks at each other and dodging out of the way. Whilst Druddigon's attack and defense was greater than that of Vibrava, but Vibrava's heightened speed made it more than a match for it.

Then, they began to land hits on each other. Whilst Druddigon was able to land one powerful hit, Vibrava was able to land two, not as powerful hits, evening things out.

But then, however, things turned in Ryan's favour as one of the DragonBreath attacks from Vibrava left Druddigon with paralysis. This then allowed Vibrava to fly around Druddigon's head, disorientating that opposing Pokémon before finally knocking it out with two more DragonBreath attacks.

"Druddigon is unable to battle!" Declared Selina. "Vibrava wins!"

"Yeah! Great job Vibrava!" Ryan happily called out to the Vibration Pokémon.

Iris returned Druddigon to its pokeball.

"You fought hard, Druddigon. Take a long rest" She said before reaching into the chest and pulling out another pokeball.

"Well, you certainly are a match for me" she said to Ryan. "But let's see how you and your Pokémon can handle this. **Go! Flygon!** "

Ryan took a few moments to decide how to battle against Vibrava's evolved counterpart.

Ryan just shrugged his shoulders and decided to continue with how they were.

" **Use DragonBreath!** "

" **Counter with Dragon Tail!** "

Quickly, the battle between the two Pokémon descended into what it was before, with the two launching and dodging each other's attacks. This time, however, Vibrava didn't have the benefit of a better speed stat.

"Wow. the way Iris is going, I might actually lose this" he thought to himself.

He decided it was best to let Vibrava sit this one out before Flygon finished him off.

" **Vibrava, Return!** "

He then turned to Blastoise.

"Okay, buddy. Go for it!"

Blastoise waddled onto the battlefield.

" **Okay Blastoise, use Water Pulse!** "

Blastoise launched a Water Pulse attack in the direction of Flygon. However, it dodged out of the way once more.

This continued on for another few minutes until Blastoise finally managed to land a hit on the Mystic Pokémon.

Successfully managing to stun it, the Shellfish Pokemon then launched a furious array of attacks at Flygon, before leaping at it and striking it with a Skull Bash attack, knocking it out of the air and rendering it unconscious.

"Flygon is unable to battle. Blastoise wins!" Declared Selina.

"Great job, buddy!" Ryan said to his friend, high fiving him.

Iris withdrew the unconscious Flygon into its ball.

"You fought hard, Flygon and for that, I thank you".

She then reached into the chest and produced one final Pokeball.

"You've fought brilliantly so far, Ryan. But I'm not done yet. **Go! Haxorus!** "

"You've done good, Blastoise. Take a nice long rest". Ryan said to Blastoise.

Blastoise happily complied, waddling off the battlefield.

Ryan then pulled out another pokeball.

" **Okay Lucario. Go get 'em!** "

Ryan deicded to try and get this battle wrapped up as soon as possible.

" **Use Bone Rush!** "

As the familiar blue aura bone appeared in Lucario's paws, he charged at Haxorus before landing a blow in the guts and landing another in the face.

" **Keep using Bone Rush!** "

Lucario's strikes became faster and faster until he became just a blur whizzing around a stunned Haxorus.

Haxorus tried to land hits on it, but Lucario anticipated them each time, retaliating with another hit.

Eventually, once Lucario had finished his relentless assault, Haxorus came crashing to the ground, unconscious.

"Haxorus is unable to battle. Lucario wins, which means the victor is the challenger: Ryan!" Yelled out Selina.

"Fantastic work out there, Lucario!" Ryan said happily to the Aura Pokémon, giving him a high five before returning him to his pokeball.

On the opposite side of the field, Iris returned the unconscious Haxorus into its ball.

"Sorry about that, Haxorus. I just didn't react fast enough" she said to it.

She then crossed the battlefield to meet Ryan.

"Well Ryan, I've had some great battle over my time as a trainer, but this one is probably one of the best, even though I lost. In the name of Drayden, it is my duty and pleasure to bestow upon you your own Legend Badge". She said to him, producing a Legend Badge.

"Sweet. Thanks." Ryan replied, taking the badge and shaking her hand.

The group then said their goodbyes to the former champion before leaving the gym, Jason ans Selina congratulating him on the victory.

Once the crew had healed their Pokémon and began to leave the City, Ryan could feel like his journey was in its final stages. Now, he was just one gym badge away from being able to take on the elite four and, hopefully, take on Nate.

But their wasn't much time to let these thoughts linger.

"On the Humilau City" he thought happily to himself.

* * *

At about the same time as the group of trainers left Opelucid City, Galactic Commander Jupiter was sat waiting in an interrogation room at the Interpol headquarters in Celadon City in the Kanto Region.

On the table in front of her was a small recording device to be used when the interrogation was in progress.

After what had felt like an eternity of waiting, the door to the room opened.

In walked what appeared to be a young male trainer with a light blue jacket, dark trousers and a red and white cap on his head.

This was Hilbert. One of Interpol's finest detectives and a former Unova Region Champion.

His DCI was on a leave of absence due to being ill, so he was temporarily taking over from him.

He sat down on the opposite side of the table and pressed a button on the recording device.

"This is a recorded interrogation between myself, D.I Black, and Jupiter one of the commanders of the criminal organisation known as Team Galactic" he said to the recorder.

He then looked at Jupiter.

"Alright. I'll just cut to the chase. You, along with various other members of Team Galactic were found and apprehended within Twist Mountain in the Unova Region whilst trying to remove a dormant Regigigas from its chamber. Tell me, what exactly were you and your colleagues planning on doing with it?"

Jupiter chuckled.

"Oh, we were planning on something big. Something very big" she replied.

Hilbert raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? What kind of big thing are you talking about?"

Jupiter replied with harsh laughter.

"Ah, you young trainers are always the same. Always foolhardy about what they're getting into. Always defiant against the odds, even when there's no way they'll win".

"Tell me something I don't know".

"You want me to tell you something you don't know, Hilert?"

"That's D.I Black and yes, I would like to hear something I don't know".

"Alright then. Here's something you don't know. You're doomed! Everything you and your counterparts are striving to achieve will be for nothing. At the end of the day, nobody will be able to stand in the way of team Galactic and their allies as they reach their goals of absolute supremacy!"

"Look. I can tell that's just a load of bull you're spewing!" Snapped Hilbert.

"Oh really? Tell me, where do you think Team Magma are right now?"

Hilbert stopped to ponder this.

"Does the name "Heatran" ring a bell".

Hilbert then realised with horror what she was talking about.

"Oh my god" he muttered.

Quickly, he stopped the recording leapt out of his chair and dashed out of the room, leaving a couple of officers to guard the door.

He then burst in to the office of his branch of Interpol, CID.

"What seems to be the problem, Hilbert?" One of them asked.

Hibert panted for a few moments trying to catch his breath before yelling out "TEAM MAGMA ARE AT REVERSAL MOUNTAIN! MOBILISE ALL UNIT! GO GO GO!"

The others, clearly seeing that Hilbert meant what he was saying, scrambled into action.

Soon, the entire base had been mobilised with Hilbert amongst them, hoping they could get to Reversal Mountain in time.


	15. Turning Up the Heat

The Unova Region, as with many other parts of the world, often had to contend with varying weather climates. In one part of the Region, everything would be nice and sunny, whilst in other places it was raining heavily.

However, in one particular place in the Unova Region, the weather seemed to remain fairly constant: Undella Town. Almost every day, it seemed like it was warm and sunny. Even in the winter, it seemed like the ultimate holiday maker's paradise.

Ryan, Jason, Selina and Blastoise got a first hand feeling for this weird yet wonderful warm weather as they arrived there on the way to Humilau City.

"I've never actually been to this place before. But now I see why people talk about this place a lot" Ryan said to the others.

"Maybe one day I'll retire and buy a place here" Jason added. "That would be nice".

The group then began to head off to the Pokémon centre to have a quick rest before heading off down the marine tube.

However, as the group entered the Pokémon centre, they were greeted with a shocking site.

Within the main atrium of the Pokémon centre, dozens upon dozens of people were taking care of their injured Pokémon.

At the main counter, there was a long line of people built up, waiting for the assistance of the nurses.

In the meantime, the nurses were working their butts off to help the Pokémon.

Then, as the trainers were wondering just what the hell happened, the doors opened behind them and two more trainers came rushing in.

Hugh and Rosa.

They were both carrying unconscious Pokémon. Hugh was carrying his Eelektross. Rosa was carrying her Conkeldurr.

"GANGWAY! COMING THROUGH!" Yelled Hugh as they rushed in and set their Pokémon down nearby and pulling out various potions.

As the two trainers worked on healing their Pokémon back to full health, Ryan and the others went over to them.

"Hugh, what the hell happened? We've only just got here".

"Those imbeciles are blocking off the entrances to Reversal Mountain and are attacking anyone who gets close to them".

"Which imbeciles?"

"Team Magma"

Whilst this was all still shocking to the three trainers, they'd known it would only be a matter of time until Team Magma showed themselves.

"But what would Team Magma want in Reversal Mountain?"

"That's what we were just trying to find out, but that only ended with us getting our butts kicked. Whilst Team magma grunts on their own aren't particularly powerful, there was a lot of them to handle".

"Well, whatever they want can't be any good. We'll need to take them down before they can achieve their goals".

"But that's the thing, though. There's too many of them".

"Perhaps we'll be able to help you with that" said a voice behind them.

As the five trainers looked in the direction of the voices, their jaws dropped.

There stood a tall woman with long blonde hair and an all black attire, a male with light grey hair and a pinstripe suit and another male with light brown shorts, a dark jacket and spiky hair.

Cynthia, Steven and Blue. The former Sinnoh, Hoenn and Indigo league Champions.

The group of five were at a shock for words, as were everyone else in the centre.

"Oh don't look so surprised" Steven said to them. "We hate Team Magma as much as you lot".

"Which is precisely why I took the liberty of calling these two former champions here to help us out".

Blue was looking at Ryan and his friends, trying to figure out where he'd seen them before.

It then hit him.

"Hey, I know you three! You're the trainers that wiped the competition at this year's Driftveil Tournament!"

"Ah, glad to here we're starting to gain a reputation" Jason said happily to the others.

"Well, asides from you three, are there any others on the way?"

"I've heard that apparently Interpol is on the way, but that's about it".

"That's something, I guess".

"Alright then, if we're planning on going in, we're going to need a game plan. Any ideas?"

"I suggest we just charge in there, go all out and, if the worst happens, try and hold our own until Interpol arrive".

"Are you crazy, Blue? Do you have any idea how many grunts we're going to have to hold our own against?"

"Don't know, don't care. That's what I'm going to do right now. Any questions? I don't care. Let's do this!"

Blue then bolted out of the Pokémon centre.

"Some things never change" Steven muttered, rolling his eyes.

The others then took off after him.

* * *

They soon found Blue at the entrance of Reversal Mountain, fighting off a large group of Team Magma grunts with his Aerodactyl.

"Don't you ever stop to think about these things?" Cynthia asked him.

Blue thought about this for a few moments before replying "Nope. That takes too long".

The others just simply rolled their eyes before going off to help Blue out.

Very soon, however, the Magma grunts were out of usable Pokémon and Jason's Ariados was soon tying them up with string.

"ONWAAAAAARDS!" Yelled Blue as he charged into the mountain, the others in hot pursuit.

"Doesn't he ever slow down?"

However, as they continued deeper into the mountain, they were surprised by the severe lack of Magma Grunts.

"There's probably a whole lot of them further in". Rosa said to the others.

However, as they rounded a corner, they spotted a figure ahead of them in the blackness, slowly shuffling towards them.

The trainers readied themselves for battle.

However, as it drew closer to them, they saw that it wasn't a Magma Grunt, but an injured Grumpig.

"Grum" it murmured before falling over, exhausted.

The trainers rushed over to the unconscious Pokémon.

"The poor thing. Team Magma will pay for this" growled Selina.

"I'll stay here with it and make sure it gets the right attention" Ryan said to the others, opening up his bag and pulling out a few potions. "I'll catch up to you guys soon".

As the others ran off, Blastoise was reluctant to leave his trainer's side at a time like this.

"Don't worry about me, my friend. I'll be fine" Ryan said to his partner. "You'd better go. The others will need your help".

Blastoise could only agree, nodding his head before running after the trainers.

Further within the mountain, the trainers stumbled upon a pair of metallic doors.

"Team Magma must have put these here" Cynthia said to the others, trying to pull the doors open, but to no avail.

The others pitched in, but the door still wouldn't open.

Then, however, Jason noticed a small piece of rock, jutting out from the wall next to the door.

He didn't know why, but it seemed suspicious to him.

He went over to it and touched it.

It didn't feel like rock.

He lifted up the rock to discover that it was in fact a cover for a Magma Key Pad.

"Hey, perhaps we can overload this keypad". Jason said to the others.

Cynthia went for a pokeball.

" **Togekiss! Use Aura Sphere!** "

The Jubilee Pokémon complied, launching a blue ball of aura at the keypad, smashing it.

The doors then slowly began to open.

"Well that was easy" Rosa said, shrugging her shoulders and going with it.

The group then charged in.

However, as they entered, they stopped dead in their tracks.

Before them stood a large group of Team Magma grunts.

"Well...that's a lot" Hugh said to the others.

Just then, the group of grunts parted to allow another figure down to middle.

The figure in question was a male, dressed a red and black attire with slicked back red hair.

Maxie.

"Ah, Mr Stone. Should have known you'd come by sooner or later" Maxie said to Steven in his familiar snobbish, nasal tone. "And you've brought some of your friends with you".

"Shut it, Maxie!" Snapped Cynthia. "I don't know what you lot are planning, but knowing you, it can't be any good. So I'll make you a little deal. If you surrender, we'll go easy on you".

Maxie just laughed at this.

"Ah yes. Some time ago, that might have been the case. But alas, no more".

He then pointed at the trainers and yelled "DESTROY THEM!" to the grunts.

"Well my friends, it's been an honour battling with you all" Jason said to the others.

They then brought out the rest of their Pokémon before charging headlong into the army of grunts.

* * *

Further back, unaware of what was happening, Ryan was still nursing the Grumpig back to health.

The Manipulate Pokémon slowly began to regain consciousness, slowly opening its eyes.

"Hey buddy" Ryan said softly to him. "It's okay. I'm only here to help".

Grumpig winced in pain from its injuries.

"It's alright. I can sort those out. The best thing for you to do would be to hold still and try to relax".

Just then, though, Ryan heard the sound of running behind him.

Fearing the worst, he reach for one of his pokeballs.

However, as a group of figures rounded the corner, Ryan discovered that it wasn't any more grunts.

It was a large group of detectives and Interpol officers, lead by a familiar figure in a light blue jacket.

Ryan instantly recognised him as Hilbert, the former Unova Champion.

"You there. What's happening?" he asked Ryan, running over to him.

"Well, my friends and I got here from Lacunosa Town to discover that Team Magma were attacking anyone who got close to this mountain" Ryan explained. "Determined to do something, we met a group of elite trainers who wanted to help sort this problem out. Currently, they've gone on ahead to try and find Team Magma. I had to stay behind and help this poor Grumpig"

Hilbert pointed to one of the officers.

"You, get a paramedic here. Everyone else, with me" He ordered.

He looked back to Ryan.

"Do you have any healthy Pokémon?"

"Yes"

"Then we'll need your help. Don't worry about Grumpig. It'll be in safe hands".

Ryan nodded before jumping up and running off with the other officers.

"So, who might you be?" Hilbert asked him.

"I'm Ryan" he replied. "I'm a Pokémon trainer from Floccesy Town"

Hilbert pondered for a few moments.

"I swear I've seen you before somewhere...Oh yeah! You're that kid who dominated the Driftveil Tournament this year!"

Ryan grinned at this.

"Yeah well, I tried my best" he replied, happy that he seemed to be gaining a good reputation amongst the elite.

"By the way, it's an honour to meet you, Hilbert" he added, shaking his hand.

"Likewise" he replied.

"Anyway, do you know what Team Magma might be doing here?"

"Not just yet, although we do know it's got something to do with Heatran, which is why we need to stop them as soon as possible. So who are the other trainers you came here with?"

"There are my Jason and Selina, my two best friends. There's also Hugh and Rosa, a couple of elite trainers. Plus Blue, Steven and Cynthia".

Hilbert was surprised.

"Blue Steven and Cynthia? Wow".

"Hilbert, this is Hilda. Team Beta are heading into the mountain right now. What's your status? Over".

Hilbert answered his radio.

"Hilda, this is Hilbert. Team Alpha is en-route to Heatran's chamber now. We've just bumped into a young trainer called Ryan. According to him, there's a group of elite trainers in there, holding Team Magma at bay".

"Copy that. Hilda out".

* * *

The other trainers were trying their hardest to fight off Team Magma, but were slowly failing.

Team Magma had backed them into a corner and were now slowly whittling away at their defenses.

The trainers and their Pokémon were slowly wearing out.

Even Ryan's Blastoise was having a tough time.

"I love the sight of cornered trainers who think they can intrude in our business" Maxie said to himself. "Finish them off".

"THERE'S TOO MANY OF THEM!" Yelled out Jason.

"WE MUSN'T GIVE UP!" Yelled out Steven. "DEFEND THIS POSITION!"

The magma grunts began to encircle the trainers in even further.

However, before they could do so, a giant explosion blew the metal door off its hinges.

Then, on the opposite side of the smoke came three voices.

" **Sawsbuck! Energy Ball!** "

" **Samurott! Ice Beam!** "

" **Accelgor! Sludge Bomb!** "

As the three attacks were launched, surprising the grunts, a whole group of figures stepped through the smoke to reveal themselves.

Ryan, Hilbert and Hilda, followed by a whole group of inspectors and officers.

"INTERPOL! YOU'RE UNDER ARREST!" Screeched Hilda as the group began to move in and join the battle.

"Take your time, why don't you" Hugh said to Ryan.

"Hey, look on the bright side. I brought Interpol with me" he replied.

Thankfully for the trainers, the arrival of interpol seriously eased the trouble they were having. In fact, this enabled them to turn the tides of the battle in their favour.

As Ryan looked through the battle, he spotted Maxie speaking through a small radio.

"Triad, this is Maxie. We've encountered heavy resistance within the mountain. It's too much for us to handle. We're going to have to abort. Send the frigate to my location".

He then turned to the grunts.

"You two! Grab the chest. We're pulling out" he said to two of the grunts.

The grunts in question complied, walking over to a large metal box and picking it up.

Seeing that this chest was of importance, Ryan began to wade through the battle.

However, just as he started this, the whole cavern shook.

Then, suddenly, part of the roof fell away, causing light from outside to come glaring in.

A metal claw then came in through the hole, ready to grab the crate.

Seeing this, Ryan sprung into action.

"Oh no you don't! **Pachirisu! Use Discharge!** "

Pachirisu then launched a burst of electricity at its target, zapping the two grunts and causing them to drop the chest.

Ryan and Maxie both simultaneously went for the chest.

However, Ryan was one step ahead, as he leaped over the chest and, much to Maxie's surprise, landed an almighty sucker punch to his face, knocking him off balance.

This then allowed Ryan to grab one end of the chest and drag it away.

"Argh! You pest!"Grumbled Maxie as he picked himself up.

Realising that carrying on like this was futile, the Team Magma Leader decided to make a break for it, grabbing hold of the claw's rope and allowing it to lift him out.

The other trainers tried to stop him escaping, but to no avail.

Very soon, they spotted a giant black shape in sky, flying away from their location.

It was the Plasma Frigate. With Maxie onboard.

* * *

Thankfully for the trainers, they were able to wrap up the battle fairly quickly with the help of Interpol.

The group of trainers then met in the middle of the cavern with Hilbert and Hilda.

"Well, thanks for the assist there" Cynthia said to the interpol officers. "We would have been able to hold them off much longer until you arrived"

"Hey, thank you for being able to hold them down until we got here" Hilda replied.

"So, know what's in the chest?" Ryan asked.

"No, but I have a good idea what it is" Hilbert replied.

The group encircled the silver chest, waiting to see what was inside.

Tentatively, Hilbert opened the chest and reached in, grabbing hold of some kind of rock.

As he lifted it out of the chest for the others to see, they clearly saw that it was a medium sized orange boulder, radiating a little bit of heat.

"The Magma Stone?"

"What else? They would've needed it to summon Heatran"

"Speaking of which..." Hilda added, pointing to a small hole in the cavern. "I think we'd better put it back".

The group headed into the sendoff cavern, where Hilbert gently placed the Magma Stone back in the centre of the room.

However, as Hilbert put it down, they heard a clanging noise from the ceiling of the cavern.

This was followed by another. And another.

Then, as the clanging sounds continued, out of the darkness crawled a familiar shape.

Heatran.

As the trainers watched in awe, Heatran dropped down from the ceiling and landed next to the magma stone.

The group had to take a few steps back, as the heat radiating off the Pokémon was so intense.

"Wow" Ryan muttered.

Just then, he remembered the Master Ball he had in his bag.

"So Ryan, you going for it?" Jason asked.

Ryan thought long and hard about this. Adding Heatran to his team certainly sounded tempting.

But he eventually shook his head.

"Not just yet" he replied. "I'll see what else comes up. Anyway, we'd best be heading off to Humilau City"

"Too right" Selina replied.

"Good luck, Ryan" Hugh replied as he and the other trainers shook their hands.

"Thanks. See ya!" he replied as he and his friends began to make their way out of the cavern and back towards Undella Town.

However, as they were about to leave the mountain, they heard a yell of "PIIIIG!" behind them.

They looked round to see what was making the sound.

The same Grumpig from earlier came happily rushing up to Ryan before engulfing him in a hug.

"Wow. I think that Grumpig really likes you, Ryan" Selina said to him.

Grumpig broke the hug with a massive smile on it's face.

"Well, it's good to see you're okay" Ryan said to the Grumpig.

The Manipulate Pokémon nodded happily.

"Pig. Grum. Grumpig pig Pig. Pig. Grum. Grumpig. Pig" The Pokémon said to Ryan, making certain actions to accompany these words.

At first, he couldn't understand anything. But then, he began to pick up certain bits, like "thanks", "travel", "Journey" and "friends".

Ryan soon realised what Grumpig was trying to say.

"You want to travel with us?"

Grumpig nodded eagerly.

"You sure"

Grumpig nodded even more eagerly.

Ryan grinned, producing an empty Pokeball.

"Alright then. Welcome to the team, Grumpig. **Go! Pokeball!** "

Ryan then threw the empty pokeball into the air, Grumpig leaping up and pressing the button, causing it to open and suck him in.

As Grumpig disappeared into the ball, it fell to the ground.

_Vwoop_

_Vwoop_

_Vwoop_

_CLICK_

Ryan went over and picked up the ball.

"Yeah. Welcome to the team".

The group then continued on back into Undella town, stopping back at the Pokémon centre to heal their Pokémon.

However, as they were about to leave, Ryan stopped them with a yell of "HANG ON A MINUTE!"

"What's wrong, Ryan?" Jason asked.

Quickly, Ryan whipped out his Pokedex and turned to the Habitat list, flicking straight to Route 13 and reading the list of Pokémon to be found there.

Then, he pocketed his pokedex and rushed over to the nearby Pokemart.

"One quick ball, please" he said to the vendor.

Once he'd paid for the quick ball, he sprinted out of the Pokémon centre and back onto Route 13, with his friends in hot pursuit.

As he disappeared behind a row of trees, he slowed down, viewing his surroundings carefully.

"Ryan, what are you doing?" Asked Selina.

"Well, I realised that I'll need to start thinking about the long game if I want to gain an advantage at the Unova League. Seeing as two of the Elite 4 specialise in ghost and psychic types, I've decided to gain an advantage by trying to capture a Dark Type"

"But which Dark Types can you catch around here?"

The others then realised which Pokémon Ryan was trying to catch.

"Are you trying to capture an Absol?"

"Precisely the reason why I bought a quick ball. I can catch an Absol as quick as possible and we can be on the way to Humilau City in no time".

The group began to sneak around the area of forest whilst trying to make as little sound as possible.

Some of the Pokémon they spotted certainly seemed tempting, but Ryan remained focussed on trying to find an Absol.

Just then, however, as they reached a small clearing, they all stopped.

An Absol was dead ahead, wandering through the clearing, unaware of their presence.

Ryan primed his quick ball.

" **Quickball! Go!** "

The quick ball whizzed through the air before bouncing against Absol, opining up and sucking it in before shutting and falling to the ground.

_Vwoop_

_Vwoop_

_Vwoop_

_CLICK!_

Ryan grinned, picking up the pokeball and attaching it to his belt.

"Alright then, we're done here" he said to the others happily.

"Let's go!" Jason added as they walked out of the forest and back onto the route. "Humilau City awaits"


	16. Tsunami

Ryan and his friends had heard about the Marine tube. They'd known that it had been the result of years of research, design and construction. Over $180,000,000 had been invested to make the plans a reality. Construction had started not too long after Hilbert had defeated the Unova League. At the time, it was the greatest construction project in Unova since the Skyarrow Bridge.

But now, it had been finished for just over and year and the group of trainers were lucky enough to be able to travel through it on the way to Humilau City.

Every few steps they took, they found themselves stopping to stare through the glass.

"Wow. No wonder people consider this the best way to get to Humilau City" Jason said to the others.

"Dude, it's the only way to get to Humilau City if you don't want to get wet" Ryan added.

The trainers just stared through the glass for a few more minutes.

"Tell you what, this glass is so clear, it's almost like we're out there with them" Selina said to the others.

The others could only agree with that.

In the meantime, Blastoise couldn't have felt more at home with all the water Pokémon swimming drifting past outside.

He was hoping that Ryan would buy a house in Humilau City once their adventure was over, so he could swim out here everyday.

However, just then, they heard a tapping sound on the glass behind them.

At first, they didn't take any notice of it, assuming it was just another Pokémon tapping, but when the tapping grew slightly louder, then they looked over.

In fact, it wasn't just them who looked over. Most other people in their part of the tunnel looked in the direction of the tapping.

Much to their surprise, they spotted a person outside the tube, swimming amongst the Pokémon there, looking through the glass, dressed in diver's gear.

If it wasn't for the familiar tuft of blue hair poking out of the diving suit, they wouldn't have recognised the person.

But they were able to.

It was Marlon, the Humilau City gym leader.

Recognising the trainers, Marlon waved at them.

"Way to make an entrance Marlon" Selina said to herself as the others waved back at him.

Marlon the pointed at Ryan, then back at himself before balling up his hands into fists and placed them together, knuckles touching before producing a pokeball and pointing at it.

"What's he trying to say?" Jason asked.

"He's asking if I want to have a gym battle with him" Ryan replied before giving Marlon a thumbs up.

Marlon replied with a thumbs up before swimming away from them, presumably back to the gym.

Ryan couldn't help but chuckle.

"This is why I like these gym leaders" he said to the others. "Some of them seem like big kids".

The group soon decided to continue on to Humilau City.

As they got closer to the end of the tube, Ryan was busy thinking about his journey.

Not too long ago, he'd started on his journey with just his beloved Squirtle by his side, just to escape being married off to Lucy. Hell, he still vividly remembered when he and his partner were attacked by Sewaddle and were rescued by Brendan and May.

Since then, he and his Pokémon had grown to where they were now: walking down the marine tube, on the way to battle for the final gym badge as one of the most talked about young trainers in the Unova Region.

He looked over at his Blastoise. He remembered back to when they'd first met on his fourteenth birthday. He remembered the first ever gym battle they'd ever had. He remembered back to when he'd evolved on the verge of losing the battle against Roxie and ultimately won the match. Then there was the only time he had been knocked out: the battle against Burgh. The fact that he'd let his friend down at that point still left a bitter taste in Ryan mouth. Not too long after that, there was the time where Wartortle had single handedly annihilated Clay's team. Then there was the entire Driftveil Tournament. Gaining the platinum medallion live on TV (which he still had round his neck), the cheers of the crowd and most of all, his dear friend evolving one last time.

That all seemed like it had happened in another time zone, much less a few days ago.

Ryan just shook his head and grinning, still not being able to believe the fact that he was now here so soon.

"Well, let's not wait around any longer. Let's do this thing!" Ryan said to his friends, dashing off in the direction of the Humilau exit, with his friends tailing after him.

The group then ascended the steps and left the tunnel, all whilst being greeted by bright sunlight.

In essence, Humilau City could be viewed as being a lot like Undella Town, as being a brilliant tourist destination. However, there were some differences. For one, there was a Gym there, obviously. Then, the weather in Humilau, whilst indeed nice and sunny almost all year round, wasn't as nice overall as in Undella Town, so a majority of the tourists in the Region ended up going to Undella Town instead.

"No time to compare notes" Ryan thought to himself. "It's time to face Marlon".

Thankfully, the group managed to find the gym fairly easily.

Suddenly, as they were about to open the doors, Marlon suddenly leapt out of the water and landed right next to them, causing them to jump out of their skins.

This time, however, Marlon was wearing his traditional swimming gear.

"Sup, dudes!" Marlon said to them in his traditional "surfer dude" dialect, shaking their hands. "Been a while"

"Too long, Marlon" Ryan replied.

"So yeah, dude, you hear to battle?"

Ryan grinned.

"Of course I am" Ryan replied. "I have walked miles upon miles to reach here and I'm not planning on calling it a day here".

"You sure mean business, yo. Shoots! I accept your challenge. Let's just start already".

"Couldn't have put it better myself. Let's do this"

As the group headed into the gym, Ryan's anticipation was growing rapidly.

This was it. If it all went well, this would be his final gym battle in the Unova Region.

Inside the main gym building, just like the others, there was a battlefield built into the floor. But unlike the other gyms, this one was essentially a giant pool, with lilly pads scattered around for Pokémon that otherwise couldn't swim.

As Ryan took his place at one end of the field, standing on a small podium, Marlon took his place on the opposite one, with a referee standing on the side of the battlefield.

"Ready, dude?" Marlon called across to him.

"Born ready. Dude" Ryan replied.

Marlon produced his first pokeball.

" **Go! Carracosta!** "

Ryan instantly knew which Pokémon to go with.

He produced a pokeball of his own.

" **Sawsbuck! Go!** "

Immediately, Ryan was on the attack.

" **Sawsbuck! Use energy Ball!** "

Drawing power from nature, Sawsbuck formed a green ball in front of itself before launching it in the direction of Carracosta. However, it easily dodged out of the way, landing in the water.

" **Use Crunch!** "

Carracosta then leapt out of the water and launched itself at Sawsbuck, jaws bared.

However, Ryan had anticipated this.

" **Use Horn Leech!** "

Sawsbuck lowered its head as its horns started to glow orange.

Then, as Carracosta was within mere inches of it, Sawsbuck thrust its head up, causing its horns to strike the Prototurtle Pokémon in the chest, dealing four times the usual damage.

In fact, it caused so much damage, it caused Carracosta to land in the water, face up, unconscious.

"Carracosta is unable to battle. Sawsbuck wins!" Declared the referee.

"Hell yeah! Great job, Sawsbuck!" Ryan said happily to the season Pokémon.

Marlon withdrew his unconscious Carracosta.

"Sorry, dude. My bad. Take a long rest, 'K?"

He then looked back at Ryan, producing his second pokeball.

"Well, you got this trainer thing down, yo! But how will you handle this? **Wailord!** "

As the Wailord appeared, it crashed down into the water, sending huge tidal waves everywhere, including over the trainers.

Ryan just stared up at the Wailord, amazed by its size. He'd heard about the sheer size of Wailord, but it was something else seeing one up close. In fact, it was pretty much taking up most of the battlefield.

"SWEET MERCILFUL CRAP!" Yelled out Ryan, completely soaked. "THAT'S HUGE!"

He then remembered something: he was in the middle of a battle with it.

He shook himself back to reality.

" **Use Energy Ball!** "

Sawsbuck complied, launching an attack at the Wailord. However, much to their surprise, these attacks seemed to be almost ineffective. Granted, they did do some damage, but it was so insignificant, you'd have to look _really_ closely to see.

Sawsbuck tried launching more energy ball attacks, but the same results happened each time.

However, as Sawsbuck launched more and more energy balls, Marlon said a little something to Wailord.

" **Use Bounce!** "

As Sawsbuck continued to launch attack, Wailord suddenly leapt out of the water and high into the air, which was a minor miracle, considering its size.

As its large shadow fell over Sawsbuck, the others looked up, terrified.

"Oh god. I can't watch!" Jason declared as he, Selina, Ryan and even Blastoise all shielded their eyes from the impending cataclysm.

Then, finally, Wailord came down with an almighty _BOOM!_ Sending more tidal waves over the trainers.

As Ryan looked up, he found Sawsbuck, thrown from underneath Wailord and stuck in the wall, unconscious.

"Ooh, that's going to hurt in the morning" Declared Selina, grimacing.

"Sawsbuck is unable to battle. Wailord wins!" Declared the referee.

"Yeah! Stellar job, yo!" Marlon said happily to Wailord.

Ryan withdrew the unconscious season Pokemon.

"Sorry, buddy. But there really wasn't much I could do. Guess its just one of those things".

He then produced his second pokeball.

" **Pachirisu!** "

Ryan then quickly managed to formulate another plan.

"Remember, use your small size to your advantage. Keep moving and launching attacks and you'll have a chance"

"Chi Pa!"

" **Okay, Use Discharge!** "

Pachirisu complied, launching a powerful burst of blue lightning. However, instead of launching it at Wailord, Pachirisu launched it at the water, setting it alight with a fantastic lightshow and causing Wailord even more damage.

Thankfully for Pachirisu, it was safe standing in the fake rubber lillypad.

" **Now use Hyper Fang!** "

Pachirisu then leapt onto Wailord and got to work, whizzing around on Wailord's back and attacking anywhere and everywhere with its fangs.

Whilst the damage of each individual attack was minimal, the sheer speed at which Pachirisu was making the attacking, moving to another spot and attacking again was more than enough to make up for that. What's more, since Pachirisu was on Wailord's back, Wailord couldn't do much to remove the opponent.

Wailord did try bouncing into the air and turning over to try and get Pachirisu into the water, but the opposing Pokémon simply ran over to the other side.

Then, finally, after countless Hyper Fang attacks, Pachirisu landed one final Discharge attack, dealing the last blow needed to knock out Wailord.

"Wailord is unable to battle. Pachirisu wins!" Declared the referee.

"Yes! Thanks, buddy!" Ryan said happily to his friends as he landed on another lillypad.

Marlon withdrew his unconscious Wailord.

"Don't sweat it, yo. You totally rocked out there".

He then produced his final pokeball.

" **Jellicent! Go!** "

As the Jellicent appeared, floating in the water, Ryan decided to get the battle wrapped up as quickly as possible.

" **Okay Pachirisu, Use Volt Tackle!** "

Immediately, Pachirisu launched itself into the air and surrounding itself with electricity.

It then bounced off another lillypad before slamming as hard as possible into Jellicent.

Once again, this enveloped the entire pool in a spectacular electrical light show.

Then, finally, as the light show faded, Jellicent was left floating in the water, unconscious.

Pachirisu, on the other hand, was standing on a lillypad at the far end, suffering from recoil, but still very much conscious.

"Jellicent is unable to battle. Pachirisu wins, which means the victor is the challenger: Ryan!" Yelled the referee.

"Yeah! We did it, buddy! We won our final gym badge!" Ryan yelled happily to Pachirisu as the Elesquirrel Pokemon jumped off the field and dashed over to Ryan, the two embracing happily.

Marlon withdrew his unconscious Jellicent.

"Don't worry yourself, dude. He was just too quick"

He then went over to meet Ryan.

"Yo dude! You've really got this training thing down! Shoots, that was the coolest battle I've experienced ever!"

He then produced a wave Badge.

"You've totally earned this"

"Great. Thank you" Ryan replied happily, taking the badge, placing it in his badge case and shaking Marlon's hand.

"Well, shoots! You can now roll with the big dogs. Anyway, I'm off. See you at the league, yo!"

With that, Marlon then sprinted back over to where he had been standing before jumping out the back and splashing into the sea.

Ryan just stood there, an eyebrow raised.

"Wow. How laid back can you get?" he asked himself.

Deciding not to waste much more time, the group of trainers then headed out of the gym and off to the Pokémon centre to heal their teams, with Jason and Selina congratulating him on his victory.

Once they'd done that, they began to head out of the centre.

However, as they began to do that, Ryan noticed something on one of the magazines available to buy.

He went over to the pokemart and picked up a copy.

It was an issue of "TrainerGoss", one of the most well known celebrity gossip magazines in the world.

But that didn't really interest Ryan.

What did catch his attention, however, was what was on the front cover.

On the front cover, Skyla was posing in a small swimsuit.

Ryan began to blush profusely at the sight of this.

The headline read:

_FLYING HIGH!_

_Skyla reveals all. Fame, battling, looking good, Elesa and her new boyfriend._

Ryan couldn't help but begin to look inside at this point, flicking straight to the section with Skyla.

There, near the top of one of the pages, was one question that caught his eye.

**_TG: We've heard rumours floating around for a while that you're apparently seeing Ryan, the young hotshot trainer from Floccesy. Is it true and if so, what is he like?_ **

_S: You know, I'm surprised people haven't found out sooner. But to answer your question, yes. I have indeed been seeing Ryan and he is possibly the nicest guy you'll ever meet. When I first met him back at the Unova Leaders Tournament, him and I got the chance to sit down and get to know each other a little better. When I was telling him about myself, he listened on with intent, hearing every word I said, which I don't actually see that much in a guy. Plus, he always knows what to say in a situation, be it good or bad. And that's before you get onto the fact that he's so freaking adorable. He may still be on his journey at the moment, but there isn't a day that goes by without me thinking about him. So I'd like to give a quick message to him. Ryan, wherever you are, good luck, my love. We will be together again someday._

Ryan was touched by this. That was possibly the best thing anyone had ever said about him.

"Wow. I've seen and heard some adorable, heartfelt things on my travels, but that might just take the cake" Selina said.

Smiling, Ryan put the magazine into his backpack.

"I'll read more of this later" he said.

The group then left the Pokémon centre and began heading out of the city.

As they slowly grew closer and closer to Victory Road, a sense of anticipation was growing within the group.

They knew that all roads had been leading to this. There was no certainty as to whether or not Ryan would do well, but there was a good feeling.

But there wasn't much time to think about that.

The Unova League was waiting.

However, what they didn't expect was having to take a detour before then...


	17. The Mother of all Battles

As the trio of trainers headed off towards Victory Road, Ryan was reminiscing about his adventures with his friends.

He easily knew that his adventure had been far from ordinary, mainly thanks to the various encounters with some of the best Regional Champions in the world, plus the fact that he'd often had to tend with the likes of Team Rocket.

"Oh well." Ryan thought to himself. "It's been great, but now it's time to seal the deal and take on the Unova League".

However, as they reached the edge of Humilau City, something happened that Ryan and the others hadn't anticipated.

The Earth began to shake.

It was only lightly at first, but it slowly began to get more and more violent.

As it shook, the trainers held onto the ground for dear life.

"HEY JASON, ARE EARTHQUAKES IN UNOVA POSSIBLE?" Selina yelled to him over the sound of the earthquake.

"POSSIBLE, BUT HIGHLY UNLIKELY!" He replied.

"WHERE DO YOU THINK ITS COMING FROM?"

"I DON'T KNOW!"

As it dragged on, the earthquake continued to get more and more violent before, suddenly, it just stopped altogether.

"Is everyone alright?" Ryan asked as he wobbled back to his feet.

"Urgh. I feel like I'm about to throw up" Selina commented

"Strange" Jason muttered. "If I remember correctly, whilst earthquakes in Unova are highly unlikely, the most likely place they'll happen is in places like Anville Town, much less here"

They stood around for a few moments, trying to figure out where the earthquake epicentre was.

However, as they did so, they felt a large shadow pass over their heads.

As they looked up at the shape, they felt their blood begin to boil again.

There, flying through the sky above them was a large black ship, shaped like a sailing boat, complete with sails and cannons.

On those sails was the letter P, stylised in a gothic way.

The Plasma frigate. Flying in the direction of Undella Town.

As it disappeared over the small rock formation on the edge of Humilau City, Ryan wondered if Team Plasma had something to do with that earthquake.

"Now I don't know about you, but I have the distinct impression that those guys might be the cause of that earthquake just now".

"It would be an enormous coincidence if they weren't"

"Well whatever they're up to, it can't be any good. How about we indulge ourselves with a little bit of kick-assery ?"

"I couldn't put it better myself"

"Alright then, gentlemen. Let's do this thing!" Declared Selina.

With that, the three trainers and Blastoise dashed through Humilau City before descending into the marine tube.

As they descended, they had to push past dozens of screaming and panicking people as they evacuated the tube.

Thankfully for the trio, this left the marine tube completely empty, allowing them to run across without much trouble.

Which is what they did when they reached the bottom and began sprinting across to the other side.

However, as they reached the half way point in the tunnel, Ryan noticed something dark in the ocean, stopping to have a look.

"What's wrong?" Jason asked.

"There's something out there" replied Ryan.

As he stared closer, he was still wondering what it was. It was too far away to see what it was, but it was gradually getting closer.

However, as it eventually came into view, Ryan realised with horror what he was looking at.

A Team Aqua submarine. Heading straight for them.

"RUUUUUUUUUUUUN!" Screamed Ryan.

The trainers sprinted off towards Undella Town again, this time much faster, waiting for the impending impact.

Sure enough, the submarine came crashing through the tube, causing substantial damage and shutting off all the lights, with only the light from the end of the tunnel illuminating the place.

As they kept running, they heard the sound of tons of rushing water behind them and getting closer by the second.

Thankfully for them, however, they were able to make it out of the tube just before it entirely flooded with water.

"Bloody hell that was close" panted Jason, taking a minute to catch his breath.

"Alright then, time to see what's happening" Ryan said to the others.

The group stepped out into the open.

However, what they saw made them stop and stare in shock.

There, on the far side of the Undella bay was a tall stone structure.

Above it, the Plasma frigate hovered over it.

Behind it, the Aqua submarine was parked.

This was the Abyssal Ruins.

"Okay, now this has Team Magma written all over it. They must have raised it out of the water"

"We can worry about lowering it again later. Right now, we need to find a way to get into it"

"Already on that" Ryan replied. " **Blastoise, do your thing!** "

Blastoise knew what Ryan was planning at it set itself down in the water, shell up.

The three trainers the climbed onto its back and Blastoise began to swim across to the ruins.

Once they eventually reached an entrance to the ruins, the three disembarked, with Blastoise lifting himself out of the water and following them in.

Unfortunately for them, navigating the ruins was harder than previously feared, as they were constantly running into dead ends. However, they eventually managed to get a hang of things and were soon able to traverse the various floors of the ruins before  
arriving at the top.

Unfortunately for them, on the opposite side from where they were standing stood a large army of grunts from Team Rocket, Team Aqua, Team Magma, Team Galactic and Team Plasma. Behind them stood their leaders: the four Rocket executives, Maxie, Archie,  
Mars, Saturn and the Shadow Triad.

Maxie had a black eye from where Ryan had punched him.

Behind all of them was a strange, large spherical thing. The trainers had no idea what it was, but they could easily determine nothing good could come from it.

"OI!" Yelled Ryan.

This caught their attention.

The entire army turned to face him.

"Oh. It's you three" Maxie remarked sourly.

"Let me guess" Saturn said to them. "You're here to stop us from completing our plans, am I right?"

"Yeah. Pretty much".

The entire army laughed harshly at this.

"What? That's usually how it ends. You know this better than us. All of you have fallen before one solitary trainer, so against three trainers, your chances are notably slim".

"Not this time, foolish children". Archie replied. "All those times were when we were just lone teams. Now, we are one. There is nothing anyone can do to stop us, let alone three kids".

"You sure about that?" Asked a voice from above.

The army and the trainers all looked around to see where the voice was coming from.

There, standing at the top of the steps was a young male with dark trainers, black shorts and black and red jacket a green headband and white knit cap.

"Brendan?" Ryan asked.

"Did I miss the ass kicking?" he asked.

"Erm...no" Jason replied. "In fact, you're a little bit early".

"Oh well that's alright then" he said, relieved.

He then put two fingers into his mouth and whistled.

Then, much to the surprise of the three trainers, many more figures made their way up the steps to join them.

Firstly, there was a group of gym leaders from around the world, from Brock to Marlon.

Then, there was a large group of elite trainers, including Silver, May and Barry.

Then, finally, a group of current and former champions, ranging from Blue to Nate.

"And that's not all" May added. "Interpol are on the way as well".

"Wow. You guys have definitely been busy"

"Great to see you again, Ryan" Brendan replied, shaking his hand.

"Likewise".

He then noticed Jason and Selina.

"Who are these two?"

"Jason and Selina. Two old friends of mine"

"Hi"

"Hi"

Brendan then looked around the group behind him.

"Wait a minute, we're missing someone" he said.

Just then, the two armies heard a roar overhead.

It was a lone Charizard.

"Oh. Nevermind" Brendan said to himself, grinning.

Then, as they watched, a lone figure dropped off the back of the Charizard, landing right in front of the group of trainers.

The figure was a young male trainer, dressed in dark trainers, light blue trousers and a black t-shirt, red jacket, red and white cap and a back pack with VS Seeker.

As he looked round at the trainers, he wore a steely look of determination on his face, as did the Pikachu perched on his shoulder.

This was Red. The greatest Pokémon trainer and Ryan's personal hero.

As he gave them a thumbs up, Ryan felt like he was about to have a fanboy moment again. He'd hoped he would meet various league champions on his travels, but Red was the one he hoped to meet the most.

Red then turned back to face the enemy.

"Shall we?" Asked Wallace.

"We shall" replied Steven. "EVERYBODY READY!"

The army of trainers then brought out each and every Pokémon they happened to have on hand, including various legendaries, including Brendan's Rayquaza and Latios, Ethan's Raikou, Lucas's Giratina and Red's Mewtwo.

The criminal teams did the same thing, bringing out any and every Pokémon they had on hand.

Whilst the criminals heavily outnumbered the trainers, the trainers had more than enough firepower to make them an even match for the criminals.

Jason and Selina then looked back at Brendan.

"May we?" Selina asked.

"Go for it" he replied.

The two then nodded at each other before pointing at the army of criminals and screaming one word together.

"ATTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!"

With that, the army of trainers and their Pokémon went charging at the army of criminals, screaming at the top of their lungs, as did the army of criminals.

Brendan, however, just simply climbed onto the back of his Latios, flew over their heads and dropped down, engaging them in hand to hand combat.

In fact, that's pretty much how the battle was when the two armies met: Pokémon against Pokémon, Trainers against grunts and commanders.

Whilst the likes of Maylene were easily knocking through grunt after grunt, the likes of Bugsy were having their work cut out.

Red was indeed giving the other trainers a pleasant surprise by showing that he was also fairly capable in hand to hand combat, kicking one grunt in the face with the back of his right foot before jerking it forwards and kicking another grunt in the face  
with the front of his foot.

Somewhere else in the fight, the Lucarios of Ryan, Nate, Lucas, Maylene and Riley were fighting as a team, helping each other out and complimenting their moves.

It almost seemed like something out of Power Rangers.

Ryan's Blastoise was also fighting alongside Ethan's Typhlosion and Lucas's Torterra.

As for Ryan and his friends, they were just wandering around the giant brawl by themselves, picking off anyone that happened to attack them.

As Ryan was backing up through the combat, he bumped into someone.

Looking over his shoulder, he found it was Skyla.

"Skyla! Sure am glad to see you again" Ryan said to her, the two sharing a quick kiss.

"Likewise, Ryan" she replied. "So what's our game plan?"

"Simple. We need to hold these goons at bay until Interpol turns up".

The two then stayed back to back, fighting off any grunts that happened to cross them.

Then, suddenly, in a puff of smoke, one of the Shadow Triad appeared in front of Ryan, ready to attack him.

However, out of plain shock, Ryan reacted first, landing a rock hard punch to his crotch.

"THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR JUMPING OUT ON ME!" Ryan yelled before giving the Plasma Shadow a kick to the back of the head, knocking him out.

Overhead, various flying Pokémon, led by Lance's Dragonite, Barry's Staraptor, Ryan's Vibrava and Red's Charizard were taking on a whole horde of Zubat and Golbat.

However, as the dogfight carried on, Vibrava began to glow.

"Vibrava, it's good that you're evolving and all, but couldn't you wait till this whole thing blows over?" Ryan asked.

He then realised there was no point in asking Vibrava to hold off evolving and just went back to kicking butt.

Thankfully, Vibrava began to change in shape and size fairly quickly.

Then, eventually, the bright glow subsided, with Flygon now in Vibrava's place.

It then charged into the armada of Zubat and Golbat and easily taking some down.

As the brawl dragged on, things were slowly beginning to swing in the favour of the trainers.

The criminal's Pokemon were slowly beginning to fall in numbers, as were the number of criminals that were conscious.

"KEEP ON THEM! WE'RE WINNING THIS ONE!" Alder yelled out to the trainers as they slowly but surely managed to push them back.

Further back, Archer managed to bump into Saturn.

"I don't think we can hold them off for much longer"

"Nonsense! We can take them!"

"Even when Interpol turn up?"

"They won't turn up. Not before we set the device off"

"Roger that"

"Mars, activate the countdown!"

"Got it!"

Leaving the combat, Mars headed over to a small computer plugged into the strange spherical device and began to type in the commands.

The group realised with horror what the giant spherical device was.

As Mars stepped away from the computer, a faint humming sound was heard from the device.

On the screen of the computer was a large red timer, counting down from four minutes.

"Oh my god" Ryan said to himself.

Ethan came rushing up to him.

"That thing's another tech bomb!" Ethan said to him. "If it goes off, it could shut down the entire world for at least two weeks"

"That'll plunge the world into chaos"

"That's why we need to deactivate it before it goes off. Dawn, Nate, with me!"

The group of four then went rushing through the brawl and up to the computer, with Dawn beginning to type away on the keys in an attempt to hack into it and abort the detonation.

_3 minutes before detonation_

Dawn banged a fist on the computer in anger.

"Damn it!" She said, frustrated. "This whole damn system is littered with firewalls. I couldn't hack into this thing to save my life".

"Well then, what do we do?"

Just then, Ryan heard some faint sounds coming from within the bomb.

As he placed an ear up to it, they sounded more clearly.

The cries of Pokémon were coming from inside. Cries of extreme pain.

"WE NEED TO BREAK THROUGH THIS METAL!" Ryan yelled to the others. "THERE ARE POKEMON INSIDE!"

Seeing what Ryan was planning, some of the other trainers, got their Pokémon to concentrate their attacks on the hard shell of the device.

Nothing of note happened at first, but slowly, dents and cracks began to appear.

_2 minutes before detonation_

Finally, as the attacks continued relentlessly at the thick outer shell, it shattered, revealing the inner workings of the bomb.

There, inside the bomb, was a tall metal pillar with wires running through it. These wires were then connected through five clamps to five legendary Pokémon, draining their life force energy.

Dialga, Palkia, Tornadus, Thundurus and Landorus.

Ethan went up and inspected the wires.

He then had an idea.

"These wires are connected in series" he explained to them. "Basically, if we can break one of these Pokémon out, that will shut down the whole device"

"Sounds easy enough" Nate replied. "Just keep firing at the one of the clamps until they break"

"I doubt that's going to be the case. Seeing as those Pokémon are struggling to get out, I doubt we can do anything about it"

"So what do we do then?"

Then, Ryan had an idea.

Quickly, he took his bag off his back, unzipped it and reached inside.

"What are you planning, Ryan?" Blue asked him.

"I just remembered I had a little something that I could use"

They then realised what he was talking about.

"You don't mean..."

"Oh, I mean" Ryan replied, pulling the Master Ball out of his bag, zipping it back up and putting it on his back.

_1 Minute before detonation_

"Well, if you're going to use it, Ryan, use it fast" Selina said to him.

As Ryan stood there, Master Ball in hand, he felt as if the entire world was watching and hoping that he'd be able to catch this thing. He knew that the Master Ball would be able to, it was just a question of him hitting his target with it.

The entire fate of the world hinged on this one moment. If he pulled this off, the world would be safe. If not, it would be doomed.

What's more, if he did pull it off, he would become one of the most powerful trainers in the world, let alone the Unova Region.

He calmed his nerves and primed the ball. Then, using all the strength in his right arm, he threw the ball high into the air and in the direction of his target.

" **GO! MASTER BALL!** "

This caught the attention of Archie.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" He yelled.

However, this didn't stop the Master Ball from bumping against Dialga's head.

The ball opened up.

In went the temporal Pokémon.

As it closed and began falling to the ground, Ryan rushed forwards before leaping forwards, sliding along the ground and just about managing to catch it.

_Vwoop_

_Vwoop_

_Vwoop_

_CLICK!_

The trainers nearby cheered at this.

Ryan felt a sense of relief wash over him.

He'd done it. He'd caught Dialga.

As he did this, the countdown timer on the computer disappeared as the clamps around the other four Pokemon opened up, releasing them.

The four legendaries them flew away to parts unknown.

"NO! NO! NO!" Screamed Ariana, bashing her fist against the ground in rage. "THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!"

Ryan then picked himself up and began making his way back towards the others.

"It's all good guys" he called to them. "We did-"

Suddenly, he was tackled to the ground by Archie, trying to take the pokeball away from him.

"GIVE ME THAT, YOU BRAT!" He yelled, tugging at the Master Ball.

However, whilst he was doing that, this left his arms as a weak spot.

Ryan took this as an advantage, poking his head up and sinking his teeth into one of Archie's wrists, drawing blood.

"ARGH!" Archie yelled, getting off the trainer, holding onto his wrist. "YOU NEARLY TOOK MY FREAKING HAND OFF!"

"Yes, that was pretty much the intention of that manoeuvre" Ryan replied, placing the Master Ball on his belt and spitting out the taste of Archie's arm.

Enraged, Archie threw a punch towards Ryan. However, the young trainer saw it coming, dodging out of the way before landing two punches on Archie's face.

Then, Ryan dropped to his knees before giving Archie's crotch a continuous, fast paced knuckle sandwich.

"I'M IN PAIN!" Yelled Archie as he staggered back, clutching his man parts.

Ryan's Lucario then decided to get in on the action, picking up the Aqua Leader and throwing him through the air towards Ryan.

Ryan then finished Archie off with a hard uppercut to the face, rendering him unconscious.

"That's enough lip out of you" muttered Ryan, cracking his knuckles.

Seeing that they were on the verge of being overwhelmed, Saturn decided that enough was enough.

"FALL BACK! FALL BACK!" He yelled to the grunts.

"Fall back if you wish, but we will never surrender" Declared one of the two remaining Plasma shadows.

"Yes! For Lord Ghetsis!" The other agreed.

However, they were swiftly caught of guard when Brawly and Janine, jumped then, knocking their heads against the ground and rendering them unconscious.

The group of grunts soon reached the ladders leading back onto the frigate and began to climb them.

However, what they hadn't anticipated was Blue spotting them.

" **AERODACTYL! FIRE BLAST!** "

Blue's Aerodactyl complied, launching a large burst of fire at the tops of the ladders, burning them to a crisp.

The grunts then fell back to the ground, landing on top of each other.

Ryan, Hugh, Brendan, and Skyla then leaped into action, leaping onto the backs of their respective flying Pokémon as they flew past before leaping off their backs and onto the deck of frigate, engaging the grunts.

As they did this, Ethan's Typhlosion launched a long blast of fire at the frigate, destroying the rear engines and immobilizing it.

The cannons were then destroyed by a Hyper Beam attack from Lance's Dragonite,

Seeing this as a lost battle, a group of grunts still on the ground decided to make a break for the main entrance back down the ruins, hoping they could make it back to the Team Aqua submarine.

However, they were stopped in their tracks as more figures began to pour out.

Leading the group were Hilda, Hilbert and D.I Looker.

Interpol had arrived at last.

"INTERPOL! YOU'RE UNDER ARREST!" Bellowed Looker as he whipped out his police badge.

Seeing as they had no way out at this point, the grunts then got on their knees and placed their hands on their heads in defeat.

* * *

It took quite a while for Interpol to clear up the mess, but eventually, the remains of the tech bomb were removed and the criminals were all taken into custody.

As Interpol were about to leave, Hilbert, Hilda and Looker met with the group of trainers in Undella Town one they'd healed up their Pokémon.

"Well, we need to everyone here our thanks" Hilbert said to them. "Without you guys, we'd probably be falling into total chaos".

"Don't mention it" Brendan said to him. "But we have to ask, do you think this is the last attack of this nature we'll see?"

"Unfortunately, probably not" Hilda replied. "There will always be teams like Team Plasma around. But as long as they're around, we'll always be there to stop them, as will any other trainers powerful enough".

"But anyway, we'd better be heading back to HQ. We've got a lot of paperwork to fill out" Looker said to them. "Again, thanks for the help"

"No problem".

The three Interpol officers then clambered into their waiting police car.

"Okay people, we're done here. Let's move 'em out!" Hilbert said over the intercom.

The police cars and trucks soon began to leave the town, with the criminals on board, more than likely to be put away for a long time.

As the cars disappeared into the distance, Brendan stood before the group to issue a speech.

He cleared his throat.

"Trainers, Gym Leaders, Champions!..." He said to the group in an epic way.

May began to giggle.

"He's really getting into this" she said to herself.

"...The battle today was long, hard and brutal. We may be battered and bruised, as are our Pokémon, but today we are victorious!"

The group cheered and applauded this.

"With that, I wish to thank each and every one of you for helping to defeat this menace. For without you guys, we couldn't have possibly done it. However, there is one special guy I'd like to thank. For without him, we wouldn't have been able to deactivate  
the tech bomb. Step forth, Ryan".

As Ryan stood before the group, they applauded happily.

"Ryan, you've won the coveted "man of the battle" award" Brendan said to him in sports commentator voice. "How does it feel?"

Ryan smiled.

"Yeah. It feels pretty good".

"So what are you going to do now?"

"What else? Take on the Unova League".

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Brendan asked the group. "GET THIS YOUNG LAD TO THE UNOVA LEAGUE!"

As the group cheered, Brendan brought out Rayquaza.

"Welcome aboard flight number 1 to the Unova League" Brendan said to Ryan, helping him onto Rayquaza's back, imitating an airline pilot. "Please make sure your seatbelts are fastened and that your seats are in the upright position. Thank you for flying  
with Rayquaza airlines".

As Jason, Selina, Alder, Brock and Skyla clambered onto Rayquaza's back, the others brought out any flying Pokémon they had and clambered onto their backs, with some trainers letting others fly on the back of their Pokémon.

"LET'S GO!" Yelled Brendan as he clambered onto the back of his Swellow.

With that, the armada of trainers took off into the sky, with Rayquaza leading them, carrying Blastoise in its claws..

As they flew, Ryan couldn't believe the luck he'd had today. He'd won his final gym badge, met his hero, caught a Dialga and help save the world from chaos.

Things couldn't really have been better for him at that point.

He smiled to himself.

"Unova League, here I come" he thought to himself.


	18. Unholy Martimony

Ryan had been expected to be arriving at Victory Road in various different , yet simple ways. He thought he would've walked up the the gates, or flown there on the back of an Unfezant, or maybe even ridden there on a Rhyhorn.

However, what he hadn't expected was to be flying in on the back of a Rayquaza, flanked by some of the best trainers in the world, including his personal hero.

But much to his disbelief and delight, that was what was happening.

Very soon, the army of trainers touched down at the start of Victory Road. Ahead of them stood the eight gates Ryan needed to pass through in order to be able to challenge the League.

Ryan hopped off the back of Rayquaza and began to make his way towards the gates.

"Thanks for the lift" Ryan said to Brendan.

"No problem. See you at the League" The Hoenn Champion replied as the group took off into the skies, with Jason now sitting at the front of "Rayquaza Airlines".

Ryan and Blastoise then stepped through the first gate.

"Basic Badge recognised" a computer voice said to him as the large models of the badge on either side of the walkway lit up.

They stepped through the second gate.

"Toxic badge recognised"

Third gate.

"Insect Badge recognised"

Fourth Gate

"Bolt Badge recognised"

Fifth gate

"Quake badge recognised"

Sixth gate

"Jet Badge recognised"

Seventh gate

"Legend badge recognised"

Final gate.

"Wave badge recognised. Congratulations. You are now eligible to enter the Unova League".

Ryan and Blastoise couldn't help but have a high five at this moment before continuing onwards.

However, just before they were about to enter Victory Road, they stopped and looked up towards the top.

It seemed like an awfully long climb.

That is until Ryan remembered he had Flygon.

"You know what, screw walking" Ryan said to Blastoise, pulling out a pokeball. " **Come on out,** **Flygon!** "

As the mystic Pokémon appeared, Ryan clambered onto its back.

"TO THE LEAGUE!" He yelled.

Flygon then lifted off, scooping up Blastoise before flying towards the top.

As the league building itself came into view, with the big Pokémon centre located right next to it.

In front of both, Ryan just about managed to spot his friends.

As he dropped off the back of Flygon and landed before them, he was greeted by the applause of his friends.

"Now that's how you make an entrance" Ryan said to the others.

"You can say that again".

"Now then, all eight of my badges have been recognised, meaning that I'm now eligible to enter the league. However, before then, I need to decide on which of my Pokémon to take with me into the League building".

"Well that's easy" Jason replied. "Just take Dialga in with you and you'll be almost unstoppable".

Ryan thought about this for a moment.

"That sounds good, but I actually won't. Why? Because if I don't choose Dialga, I'll have more of a challenge".

"Can't argue with that logic" Nate commented, partially relieved at the fact that if he and Ryan would battle, he wouldn't have to battle a hulking Dialga. Anyway, I'll be waiting for you inside".

"Yeah. See you" Ryan replied.

As Nate headed back into the League building, the group of trainers headed into the Pokémon centre, mostly to grab a bite to eat whilst Ryan decided his team.

* * *

Ryan had never realised how hard picking a League team was. Firstly, there was trying to get type advantages down, but then there was choosing the Pokémon with the right moves and stats.

As the others sat around, eating and chatting, Ryan was sat at a table all by himself trying to figure out a team.

Eventually, he began to realise which Pokémon he'd be best with entering.

On a piece of paper in front of him he began to write down his team.

"Well, obviously I'd take Blastoise in with me, seeing as he's the strongest Pokémon (Dialga not included) on my team" He thought to himself, writing Blastoise onto the paper.

"I'm also going to need to take the elite four into account as well. Hmm. Well, they each specialise in Dark, Fighting, Ghost and Psychic Pokémon. I'll start with Grimsley. He specialises in Dark Type Pokémon, so picking Lucario for my team would be a good idea".

He wrote Lucario onto the paper.

"Then there's Marshall. He specialises in Fighting Types, so I'd better put Grumpig on the list"

He wrote down Grumpig.

"Shauntal specialises in Ghost Types, which are weak against Dark Types"

He wrote down Absol.

"I'll figure out something for Caitlin. As for Nate, I already know two of his Pokémon: an Emboar and a Gigalith. I'm going to take a safe guess that he has a Dragon Type Pokémon, so..."

He wrote down Flygon.

"Now, all I need to do now is balance out Types on my team. I do have Growlithe, but I don't think its strong enough. It would be okay if it was an Arcanine, but it isn't and I don't have a Fire Stone".

He then realized something.

"Wait a minute...what am I saying?! Of course I have a Fire Stone!"

Reaching into his back, he pulled out the Fire Stone he had won back at Pokestar Studios.

"Feels like a lifetime ago since I got this". He thought to himself.

Then, he released Growlithe.

"Hey buddy. You doing good?"

"Growwwwwwwwwlithe!" The Puppy Pokémon replied.

"That's good to hear. Anyway, I have a little something for you".

Ryan put the Fire Stone down in front of Growlithe.

He was expecting Growlithe to take a while to think about this.

Instead, however, Growlithe just simply went over to the fire stone and touched it.

As Growlithe began to glow, this attracted the attention of the others in the Pokémon centre.

Growlithe began to grow rapidly, changing shape as it did.

Finally, the glowing light subsided.

Arcanine was standing before them.

The others applauded this.

Grinning, Ryan wrote down the final member of his League team.

Arcanine.

He then stood up from the table.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" he declared. "I have finally managed to gather together my team of six Pokémon to take into the Unova League. All I need to do now is-"

Suddenly, all the lights shut off.

"Dude, what the hell?" Asked Jason.

"It's probably just another powercut. The emergency generators will come on in a minute" Brendan replied.

As the group waited in the darkness, they heard the sound of some kind of tussle where Ryan was standing, followed by silence.

"Ryan? Are you alright?" Skyla called out.

Silence.

Then, finally, the lights came back on.

"See? Told you" Brendan said to Jason.

"Erm guys, we have a problem here" Ethan said to the others.

As they looked where Ethan was pointing, they realised what he was on about.

Ryan had disappeared.

"Ryan?!"

"Well...err...that's not good"

* * *

Ryan felt like he'd been battered over the head with a whole Basculin.

As his senses gradually returned to him, he slowly regained consciousness.

However, as he looked around the room he was in, he realized with horror that this wasn't the room at the Pokémon center.

This was his bedroom where he'd started his adventure.

As he quickly tried to leap out of the chair he was in, he found himself tightly tied down to it.

He tried to call out, but soon realized that a piece of cloth was tied around his mouth, preventing him from calling out.

As he tried desperately to wriggle out of his binds, the door to the room opened.

Lucy stood before him.

"Ah, Ryan. Glad you're finally awake"

Ryan had a face like thunder as he angrily tried to squirm out of the seat.

"Now Ryan, is that any way to act in front of your soon-to-be wife? Besides, in accordance to the agreement our fathers made, you and I have a duty to get married and continue the lines of both our families. I really didn't want to have to resort to this, but you left me no other choice".

It was at this point Ryan managed to wriggle the piece of cloth out of his mouth

"DO I HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO BE MANIPULATED?!" He screamed as loud as humanly possible.

"It's not manipulation, honey. It's just a simple agreement. Surely you can understand that, right?" Lucy asked him as she re-fastened the gag, tying it even tighter this time.

As she placed both her hands on Ryan's shoulders, the young trainer shuddered.

"You know, I was starting to worry that I would have to find another man..." Lucy began, softly.

_"YES! FIND ANOTHER MAN! GO BOTHER ANOTHER GUY AND LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!"_ He thought to himself.

"...but it appears that that won't be the case" she continued. "Imagine it, Ryan. You and me, together at last".

Ryan reached for his belt to take one of his pokeballs off.

No pokeballs were attached to his belt.

_"Damn. They must be back at the League"_ he thought to himself.

Ryan then remembered that Blastoise was back at the Pokémon center with the others.

"Don't worry, dear Ryan. It will only be another few minutes. Speaking of which, I'd better start getting ready"

She planted a kiss on Ryan's forehead.

"Soon, my dear. Soon".

She then left the room, blowing a kiss to Ryan.

"Guys, wherever you are, help me. Please!" He begged.

However, just then, the door opened again.

Ryan's worry once again turned to unbridled rage as Frank and Eileen Keyes entered the room, sitting at the end of Ryan's bed, facing their son.

Ryan began to violently thrash about in his seat, as if he was about to break free at any moment and attack them.

However, he soon noticed that something was up.

Neither of his parents seemed to be pleased about Ryan's current predicament, signified to him by their unhappy faces.

Ryan's father sighed before he finally began speaking.

"I...er...I can kind of tell that you're not particularly pleased to see us" he remarked as Ryan's thrashing died down. "I don't blame you, myself. If I were where you were, I'd be pissed as well".

_"Wait, what?"_ Ryan thought to himself.

"Basically, we've come here to apologize" His mother said to him. "We should never have tried to put you through it"

"Agreed. I should never have made you agree to this"

"I should never have gone along with it".

At first, Ryan was highly doubtful that his parents were telling the truth. However, there was a very clear tone of sincerity in their voices that made Ryan reconsider.

"To be perfectly honest, when we found out that you had left, we almost immediately began to regret our decision. The problem is, Lucy went and hired all these guys and thugs for her to track you down. In fact, she even threatened us if we didn't continue with the deal. this whole thing's beyond our control, now. Heck, it's gotten so bad that not even her own father can try and put things right. That poor man is actually scared of his own daughter".

Admittedly, the final part didn't really surprise Ryan that much. Jim had always seemed like the timid kind of guy. Everything else, however, came as a bit of a shock to him. This explained to him why they hadn't been in Virbank City the first time Lucy had caught up to him on his journey.

"So yeah, we're sorry. We're sorry we were so selfish, so closed-minded, so blind to the truth. This whole thing never would have happened if we had stopped for just a moment and thought "maybe this isn't a good idea"".

Frank sighed shakily.

"You know, while we were making all these deals and agreements with Jim, part of the reason why we did so was because in the back of our minds, we feared that once you left on your journey, you could end up not actually doing too well. N-not that we didn't believe that you could find success or anything like that, but it was always a possibility that we feared. Now look where you are. You've got all eight badges. You've won the Driftveil Tournament as well. Honestly, if we'd known that you would do this well, we would never have even bothered to marry you away".

Ryan didn't blame his parents one bit for fearing his failure. Why wouldn't they. They were his parents. heck, there were several moments beforehand where Ryan feared that he may not make it to the top.

He then noticed something.

Was his father welling up?

"We understand if you don't feel like forgiving us. Honestly, we wouldn't blame you. But just know that whatever happens, we have never been more proud to call you our son. When people ask us about you, we can take pride in telling them "our son is a league-caliber trainer". Now, there's no doubting it. One day, you will become the Champion".

Ryan couldn't be more touched by his father's words if he tried.

Frank chuckled sadly.

"Honestly, it makes me kind of jealous".

This earned a small smile from Ryan.

"I just...I just wish we..."

He got no further. As soon as the word "we" came out of his mouth, Ryan noticed two tears rolling down the side of his father's face, accompanied by a very quiet sob.

Frank spent the next few moments trying to hold himself together. However, this wasn't to be, as Frank eventually put his head in his hands and began to cry, his wife consoling him.

This was an eye opening moment for Ryan. This was the first time he had ever seen his father in tears. As far as he could tell, there had only been two times previously where his father had cried this much: the first was when he married. the second was when Ryan was born. but to actually see his father in tears was something else.

"Ryan..." He sobbed. "...I'm sorry".

Everyone was in tears at this point. Frank was crying his eyes out, Eileen began to bawl and even Ryan was close to tears now.

Ryan knew at this point just how he felt.

Slowly but surely, he shuffled his chair across the carpet towards his bed until he was within what would have been reaching distance of his dad.

He then leaned forwards and placed his head on his left shoulder.

_"You daft sod"_ he thought, his tears rolling down his face and into his father's suit. _"I forgive you. Of course I forgive you"._

Realizing what Ryan was trying to say, his parents came over and embraced their son in a tight hug.

* * *

Back at the League, the others were getting increasingly concerned about the sudden disappearance of their friend (if they weren't already incredibly worried).

As they stood around, waiting to hear if any of the other Pokémon centers had found him, the doors opened and Nate came rushing in.

"What the hell's going on?" He asked the others.

"Ryan's disappeared" Lucas replied. "It appears someone temporarily shut off the power and kidnapped him whilst we weren't looking. We're currently waiting to see if the other Pokémon centers have seen anything related to him around"

Just then, the nurse returned to the desk.

"Sorry, but none of the Pokémon centers have seen Ryan around" she said to them.

Blastoise was beginning to get incredibly worried about Ryan.

"Don't worry, Blastoise" Skyla said softly, comforting it. "We'll find him".

"If only we knew where to start looking, though" Jason added.

The others were left in silence for a few moments as they tried to think of where he might have been taken.

Just then, though, Brendan remembered something Ryan had said to him the day they'd first met.

_"I would get married before heading off on my Pokémon journey"_

"Oh my god" he said to himself.

"What's the matter?" May asked him

"Guys, I've just realised where Ryan is"

Before Brendan could say, May, Jason and Selina all thought the same thing.

"FLOCCESY TOWN!" They all yelled.

Suddenly, everything turned into a mad dash out the door, as all the trainers readied their Pokémon, with Selina nabbing Ryan's pokeballs.

"We need to get to Floccesy Town fast. If we do, we 'll be able to stop Lucy from ruining the poor kid's life" he said to the others.

"THAT COW WILL PAY FOR THIS!" Yelled Skyla as she took off on the back of Swanna.

The other trainers followed suit, taking off on the backs of their own Pokémon, with Selina and Blastoise hitching a ride on Ryan's Flygon.

Now, they flew faster than ever before.

They needed to rescue their buddy.

* * *

Ryan could not have felt more cheesed off at this point, for there were many things about the situation he was in that he hated.

He hated the fact that the chair he was tied to was uncomfortable.

He hated the ropes that were hurting his wrists.

He hated the continuous playing of "here comes the bride"

He hated the large amount of people behind him, constantly murmuring before the ceremony began.

He hated the security covering the room.

He hated that his parents couldn't do anything about this.

He hated that Lucy's father couldn't do anything about this.

He hated that nobody in the audience was questioning this.

But most of all, he hated the fact that it was Lucy he was marrying.

If there was anything that Ryan didn't hate about this whole ordeal, it was that the wedding wasn't being televised.

As he sat there, tied to his chair in the middle of the enormous lobby of his house (which had been decorated for the occasion), the band played as Lucy walked down the aisle, dressed in a white satin wedding dress.

As she reached the alter, alongside Ryan, the priest stood before them.

"Greetings, everyone. I would like to welcome you all to the wedding of Ryan Salazar Keyes and Lucy Joyce Maynard. Before we begin, though, let us start with the first hymn".

"Come on guys, where are you?" Ryan desperately thought.

What Ryan didn't know was that his friends were already there, hiding in the bushes outside the front gate.

"Wow. I've seen a heightened security number at this place, but it's never been this high before" Selina said to the others.

"How are we going to get in?" Asked Lyra.

They thought about this for a few moments.

Ethan then came up with a plan.

"Okay, the way I see it, we'll need to split into four groups and a pair. Two of the groups can attack from this side and the back side, whilst the other two can attack from the side gates. Meanwhile, the pair can launch their attack from the roof, seeing as that chimney might just be big enough".

Red and Blue looked at each other before nodding.

"We'll take the chimney" Blue replied.

"Alright then. Everyone get into groups and get into position. Operation Wedding Crasher is a go".

* * *

Ryan felt himself slowly begin to fall asleep. He knew weddings could be boring, but he never anticipated being in one to be THIS boring.

The priest was droning on and on about love and monogamy and everything else priests say in a wedding ceremony.

"I wouldn't mind all this if A: I had a say in the matter and B: This was with Skyla" he thought to himself.

As time ticked by, he began to fear that his friends didn't know where he was and that he'd have to spend the rest of his days married to Lucy.

"Arceus, if you can hear me, then I have a favour to ask. If I end up married to Lucy before my friends turn up, kill me" he thought to himself.

_"Be careful what you wish for, trainer"_ Replied a voice in his head.

This shocked him.

"W-who said that? Is that you, Arceus?"

He heard a slightly audible chuckle.

" _No. Fortunately for you, I'm something that can do a whole lot more for you right now. This is Mewtwo speaking_ "

"How are you doing this?"

" _Telepathy. My enhanced psychic powers allow me to do so_ "

"Wait. If your here, does that mean that the others are here too?"

" _Why don't you find out? Close your eyes._ "

Slowly, Ryan did so, shutting his eyes.

However, once he shut his eyes, instead of just blackness, he saw something completely different.

Now, he was up on the roof of his house, looking out over the rest of the grounds.

Next to him were Red and Blue, preparing to jump down the chimney.

Looking over to the front gate, he just about spotted some of his friends hiding in the undergrowth, including Jason and Selina.

This was the same story looking out past the back gate, with Skyla leading the trainers there.

However, Ryan then realised something: he wasn't in control of his body.

Mewtwo was projecting what it was seeing to him.

Just then, he heard the voice of Ethan come through Blue's Xtransciever.

"GREEN LIGHT! GO GO GO!"

Then, suddenly, the trainers and their Pokémon leapt out from within the undergrowth and began top ferociously attack the guards at the front gate with a vast array of powerful attacks.

This was the same at the back gate, with Skyla leading the team and fighting viciously.

"Right, let's blow this joint!" Blue said to the others as he leapt down the chimney, followed by Red and Mewtwo.

As Ryan opened his eyes, he saw a lot of black smoke drifting out of the living room.

Then, sure enough, Blue, Red and Mewtwo emerged from the cloud of smoke, covered in soot.

"I OBJECT!" Bellowed Blue. "THEY OBJECT AS WELL!" he added, pointing at Red and Mewtwo.

Instantly, the security reacted, releasing dozens upon dozens of Pokémon at them, with more security swarming in from other rooms.

Ryan's father then signalled for the priest to pick up the pace.

"Anyway, let us get on to the vows. Lucy, repeat after me: I, Lucy Joyce Maynard..."

"I, Lucy Joyce Maynard..."

"...Take thee, Ryan Salazar Keyes..."

"...Take thee, Ryan Salazar Keyes..."

"...To be my lawfully wedded husband..."

"...To be my lawfully wedded husband..."

_"LAWFULLY?! MY ARSE!"_ Ryan thought to himself.

"...To have and to hold..."

"...To have and to hold..."

"...From this day forward..."

"...From this day forward..."

"...For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer..."

"...For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer..."

"...In sickness and in health..."

"...In sickness and in health..."

"...Until death do us part."

"...Until death do us part"

_SLAM!_

Something crashed against the door.

"Damn. it's locked" came a voice from outside.

"Keep trying. We'll break through eventually".

The priest then produced two rings.

"With these rings, I thee wed".

Lucy took the two rings, placing one of her finger and forcing the other onto one of Ryan's.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. Lucy, you may kiss your husband".

As Lucy span the chair round to face her, she had a smug grin on her face, as if she had finally won.

"We're finally together, my love" she said softly, placing a hand on the side of his face. "Now there's only two things left to do. I'm going to do the first thing right now".

She then reached over and pulled off Ryan's gag.

And it was at this moment that Ryan's anger, which had slowly been building up since he awoke back in his room, finally boiled over.

"I OBJECT!" He screamed out, writhing angrily in his chair. "NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS WOULD I MARRY _YOU_! YOU MAY HAVE CONNECTIONS! YOU MAY BE RICH! YOU MAY HAVE THE OWNERSHIP OF A FREAKING ARTICUNO, BUT RIGHT NOW, I DON'T GIVE A FLYING **[Censored]** ABOUT ANY OF THAT! THIS IS PRECISELY WHY I'VE CHOSEN SKYLA: SHE LOVES ME FOR WHO I AM NOW AND I LOVE HER FOR IT! WHAT SHE DOESN'T DO IS TRY TO TURN ME INTO SOMETHING THAT I'M NOT! A FEW MONTHS AGO, I MET A SWEET YOUNG BEAUTIFUL GIRL! NOW IT APPEARS THAT SHE'S BEEN EATEN BY THE GIRL I'M LOOKING AT NOW! BUT YOU MADE ONE TERRIBLE MISTAKE: YOU MESSED WITH MY FRIENDS! MESSING WITH ME IS BAD ENOUGH, BUT YOU WENT AND MESSED WITH MY FRIENDS AS WELL! YOU MESSED WITH BRENDAN, YOU MESSED WITH MAY, YOU MESSED WITH JASON, YOU MESSED WITH SELINA, YOU MESSED WITH NATE, YOU MESSED WITH SKYLA! BUT DO YOU KNOW THE MAIN THING YOU DID TO GET ME THIS ANGRY?! **YOU! MESSED! WITH! BLASTOISE!** "

As Ryan's tirade finally ceased, his face had gone bright red with rage.

Almost everyone in the room carried a shock expression on their face, surprised by just how angry Ryan had been all this time.

Even Ryan himself was surprised by his sudden outburst.

"Holy crap, did I really just say all that?" he thought to himself. "I feel so wrong...and yet so satisfied...and I still feel angry!"

He looked over at the now shocked audience.

"WHAT THE **[Censored]** ARE YOU LOOKING AT?!" He roared.

Suddenly, a loud crashing noise was heard coming from the back door, followed the sound of running footsteps.

Then, Skyla came racing into the lobby.

"Skyla!" Ryan called out happily.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM YOU BITCH!" Skyla yelled, tackling Lucy to the ground.

The rest of security moved away from Red and Blue to combat the other trainers.

However, their jobs were soon made significantly harder.

_SLAM!_

_CRUNCH!_

The front doors came falling off their hinges as Blastoise, Jason, Selina, Brendan and May came charging in, followed by the rest.

Taking this opportunity, a hilariously large amount of the wedding guests took this opportunity to leave rather quickly.

Once the group reached the main combat, Blastoise landed one powerful headbutt to Ryan's wooden chair, causing it to break apart and open his bonds.

"Sure am glad to see you guys".

"Oh, you might want to have these" May said to him, handing him his pokeballs.

"Sweet. Thanks" Ryan replied, attaching the balls to his belt.

"Now then, I suggest we get out of here as soon as possible" Jason said to the others. "We heard from one of the guards that reinforcements are on the way".

Ryan clambered onto the back of Blastoise.

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE, WE'RE DONE HERE! LET'S HEAD FOR THE HILLS!" Yelled Brendan.

With that, the army of trainers turned around and bolted towards the door, with Ryan pulling the ring off his finger and chucking it down behind him.

As the army charged out of the door, Ryan's parents looked on, not even bothering to get up and try to stop them.

Before them stood a large army of security guards, each armed with Pokémon, CS gas and tasers.

However, as they ran out into the front courtyard, they were stopped in their tracks.

The other trainers prepared to take them on.

However, as they were about to do so, Ryan stopped them.

"There's no need" he said to them. "Not whilst I have this".

He took his master ball off his belt.

"And there's really no need for you to carry on like this" replied Lucy, arriving at the doorway.

"STAY BACK!" Yelled Ryan, spinning round to face her. "Don't make me open this".

Lucy scoffed at this.

"What will that do? Release the wrath of the ancients?" she replied sarcastically.

"I mean it. I will open it! Don't tempt me!"

"Lucy, I think he's actually being serious" Ryan's mother said to her.

"Oh please. He's probably having us on" Lucy replied. "Besides, if he does have something in that ball, its probably just something like a Sigilyph".

"You know what? Sod it" Ryan said, turning back round and throwing his Master Ball. " **DIALGA! GO!** "

As Dialga appeared, the security guards stared up in horror at the colossal Temporal Pokémon.

"Well. I was mistaken" Lucy said.

The security guards manned up, getting their Pokémon to attack Dialga.

However, as the opposing Pokémon launched their attacks, they only seemed to bounce off.

They then went for their tasers.

These also had no effect.

Dialga then released an ear splitting screech.

This was more than enough to get the guards and their Pokémon to move out of the way.

"What are you doing! Hold the line!" Lucy said to them.

"Against that thing?! No way!" One of them replied.

"Now where were we?" Ethan said to the others.

They then continued running away, with Ryan withdrawing Dialga.

"HEY! GET BACK HERE!" Yelled Lucy, taking off after them.

"NEVER!" Replied Ryan.

"QUICK! TAKE TO THE SKIES!" Yelled Lucas.

As quickly as possible, the trainers brought out any flying Pokémon they had, climbing onto them and taking off into the sky, withdrawing any ground Pokemon they had.

Ryan was on the back of Flygon, with Blastoise being carried by Brendan's Rayquaza.

"YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET AWAY THAT EASILY!" Lucy screamed, heading back towards the house to get Articuno.

As the trainers flew away, Ryan wiped some sweat off his brow.

"Thanks for helping me out back there" Ryan said to his friends.

"You're welcome. We're just glad to help you away from that evil cow" May replied.

"So, do you think that's the last we'll see of her?" asked Ethan.

"Knowing her, probably not" Ryan replied. "Thankfully, however, I've hatched a plan to try and get her off our trail".

Then, still miles into the air, Ryan began to strip off, taking off his cap and jacket first.

"What _are_ you doing?" Asked Lucas, confused.

"I've got an idea. Chances are, Lucy will be on us very soon, so this should hopefully throw her off when she does eventually get here".

As the army of trainers got further and further away from the house, Frank and Eileen Keyes watched them from the doorway.

"Do you think we should do something?" Eileen eventually asked.

Ryan's father thought about this for a moment before eventually smiling.

"Nah"

* * *

Rather rapidly, Lucy found her Articuno and took off into the sky, looking for Ryan.

She followed the direction the group had flown in, trying to follow their trail.

No matter how far Ryan would go, she would always find him eventually and when she did, he would be hers, regardless of Skyla.

Speaking of Skyla, Lucy reminded herself to do something horrible to that gym leader for helping to ruin her big day.

However, as she raced through the sky, she spotted a huge black splodge in the distance.

As she got closer, she could make out that the dark splodge was the group of trainers.

And there, right in the middle of it all was Ryan, riding on Flygon.

She smirked.

"No escaping, this time" she said to herself. " **Use Ice Beam!** "

Articuno then launched a furious array of Ice Beam attacks, catching a few of the trainers off guard.

"OH CRAP! SHE'S HERE! PEDAL TO THE METAL, YOU GUYS!" Selina yelled to the others.

Unfortunately for them, no matter how hard they tried to speed up, Lucy was soon on them.

However, there was only one target she was shooting at: Ryan.

"QUICK! EVASIVE MANOUVRES!" Yelled Barry.

The group soon began to try and dodge out of the way.

Thankfully for them, Marvelous Bridge was nearby, so they decided to use that and the ravine system nearby to lose her.

They all pointed their Pokémon in that direction before dive-bombing under the bridge and splitting up in the ravine system.

Lucy was still on Ryan's tail. Unfortunately for her, she had Red, May and Barry on her tail, all launching attacks at her. However, as she and Ryan suddenly rounded a sharp bend in the system, she quickly lost Barry.

"I'm ending this now" she said to herself. " **Ice Beam!** "

Articuno then fired one single icy shot at Flygon.

This caused Flygon to faulter a bit, dropping slowly in altitude before crashing into the ground, sending Ryan flying into a nearby bush.

Lucy then leaped off the back of Articuno and landed on top of him.

"I have you now my..." she began.

However, she stopped as she noticed something about Ryan.

He looked slightly different.

She peeled off his cap.

It wasn't Ryan she was looking at.

Red was looking up at her with a face that said "I genuinely don't give a crap"

That being said, that was how his face usually was.

" **Charizard! Flamethrower!** "

Just then, Red's Charizard launched a powerful Flamethrower attack at Articuno, causing it a ridiculous amount of damage.

So much, in fact, that it was enough to knock it out.

The other Red then peeled off his cap.

Lucy couldn't believe what she was seeing. Ryan was riding on the back of Red's Charizard, wearing Red's gear and with Red's Pikachu perched on his shoulder.

Red then pushed Lucy off, snatched up Ryan's cap and leaped onto the back of Charizard, with Ryan withdrawing Flygon.

"Consider this a divorce" Ryan said to her.

With that, he, Red and Pikachu quickly returned to the skies.

With that, Lucy fell to her knees in defeat before releasing an ear-splitting "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

As the two trainers flew off, they gave each other a high five.

"Now then, where were we?" he asked Red as they rejoined the rest of the group and flew back to the Pokémon league.

* * *

Once the team landed back at the League, Ryan wasted no time in making his final preparations before heading off to face the elite four. firstly, he healed his Pokémon ready for the battles ahead. Then, he unloaded any others he had on him, so that he was left with Blastoise, Lucario, Arcanine, Flygon, Grumpig and Absol.

Finally, he stocked up on all sorts of medicinals for his Pokémon once in there. Potions, antidotes, revives, everything.

He also remembered to swap his clothes back with Red.

Finally, once everything was ready, he and Blastoise left the Pokémon centre, with the others waiting outside the league building.

As Ryan stared up at the League Building, an eerie feeling washed over him. This was what he had trained hard for, every day of his journey. It had been long and gruelling, but he and his Pokémon had managed to amass eight badges and were now able to enter the building to challenge the elite four and, eventually, Nate.

He looked down at the five pokeballs attached to his belt.

Brendan placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Good luck, Ryan" he said to him. "We'll be waiting for you on the other side".

"Thanks mate".

Ryan then looked up at Blastoise.

"Well Blastoise, all roads have led us to this. It's time to complete our journey and realize our dreams to defeat the Unova League."

"Blaaast!"

Ryan and Blastoise then swallowed their fear.

"Let's do this".

The two then stepped through the gate and into the building.

Now, they were on their own.

* * *

It took Lucy's goons a while before they were able to find their contractor, bringing her back to the house by dusk, along with her unconscious Articuno.

When she eventually stepped back through the front door, she seemed close to breaking point. She had Ryan right in the palm of her hand, ready to be made her husband, only for his friends to swoop in and take him away from her again.

Her dress was dirty, her hair was a mess and she was covered in scratches from when Skyla had tackled her. But the greatest damage the group had done was beneath the skin.

As she stepped into the lobby, she didn't say anything. She just stood there, seething in anger for a few moments, desperately trying to keep her emotions from going haywire as Frank, Eileen, Jim, several goons and Ninetales looked on.

Frank looked over at Jim, motioning to ask what to do.

Jim motioned to not to anything, just to give Lucy a little bit of space.

As Lucy seethed, it seemed for a moment that she was actually calming down.

For a moment, anyway.

_**"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"**_ She screamed angrily, looking as if she was about to pop a blood vessel.

Almost instantly, she rounded on her goons.

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?! I GAVE YOU ONE JOB! _**ONE JOB!**_ AND WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?! YOU FAILED! YOU ALL FAILED!"

"Apologies, Miss Maynard" one of the guys replied apologetically. "but it's a bit hard to do your job when-"

"NO, YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND YOU LISTEN TO ME! I'M SICK AND TIRED OF YOUR SCREW-UPS! I HIRED YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS TO BRING RYAN IN AND EVERY TIME YOU'VE GOTTEN CLOSE TO HIM, YOU'VE FAILED!"

Lucy took a moment to gather her thoughts.

"You know what, I've had enough. YOU'RE FIRED! YOU'RE ALL FIRED! FIRED, FIRED, FIRED, FIRED, FIRED! _**FIRED! NOW GET THE HELL OUT OF MY FACE!**_ "

As the confused goons decided to leave, Lucy rounded on Ryan's parents.

"Don't think that this means that our deal is done. One way or another, Ryan will be mine and if you two even consider backing out, I will personally make your lives a living hell until I get him" She demanded. "GOT IT!?"

The two thought about it, looking at each other. On the one hand, Lucy was the type of person who's bark always matches her bite. but on the other hand, she had just sacked all her goons, leaving just her and her two Pokemon, one of which had never battled in its entire life.

It was just another moment before Ryan's father came up with a single decisive answer.

"No"

Lucy initially didn't say anything. She just glared at Frank, an apocalyptically angry look on her face.

"What...did you...say?" She eventually rasped out, seemingly close to breaking.

"He said no, Lucy" Eileen replied, coming to her husband's defense.

If Lucy were to get any angrier at this point, her ears would've probably started smoking.

"You...You...You...WHAT?!" She screeched. "WE HAVE A DEAL! Do you have...ANY IDEA OF WHAT I CAN DO TO YOU?! TO HIM?!"

"Nothing. That's what" Frank replied bluntly. "We heard what just happened. You sacked all of your goons. Plus, you've gone and raised that Articuno pretty poorly".

Lucy looked over at her father, expecting his support.

Jim Maynard, however, just shook his head, refusing to get involved.

"You...YOU IDIOTS!" She screamed, returning to Ryan's parents. "DON'T YOU GET IT?! HE NEEDS ME! RYAN IS NOTHING WITHOUT ME! _**YOU HEAR ME!? NOTHING!**_ "

_*SLAP*_

Eileen Keyes greeted this with an almighty slap to Lucy's face, stunning her.

"Now you listen and you listen closely, you little bitch" She snarled. "Ryan is many things, but one thing he never is is nothing. The thing is, to you, he's been nothing but a trophy. Another thing for you to parade around. Ryan doesn't play that way and, honestly, we should have known better. Besides, no matter how much you scream, no matter how many his sky fits you throw, Ryan will be going to the Unova League and he will become the Unova League champion. We believe in him that much".

Lucy watched and listened in shock at the royal bollocking she was receiving before she eventually replied.

"B-B-BUT HE'S MINE! HE'S MY FIANCÉE!"

"Not anymore, he's not. Above all else, Ryan is and always will be our son and there is nothing that anyone can do about that. We want our son back, Lucy, and to do so, we need to take out the trash. Therefore, as long as both us and him live and breathe, you will never marry Ryan. The deal's off".

She pointed to the door.

_**"NOW GET OUT!"** _

For a few moments, Lucy didn't say anything. She just stood in front of Eileen, red in the face and tears beginning to stream from her eyes.

Finally, she broke down, releasing an ear-splitting scream before turning around and storming out of the house, tailed by a sheepish-looking Ninetales.

As Lucy left, Frank looked over at Jim.

"You know, I thought you would end up coming to her aid"

Jim shook his head.

"You know what, after everything that's happened, I think she kind of needed that. Thank you"

He sighed.

"I need to apologise. Really, I do. This whole thing has been my fault. If I had gone and been a better father and not brought Lucy up to be spoiled, this never would have happened"

"I think you'll find that we all had some sort of part to play in this. But don't beat yourself up about it too much. Being a parent is hard work. We know that better than anyone"

"That's easy for you to say. Ryan's got both of you. Lucy's got just me"

"That's the sad fact of life, unfortunately"

"So anyway, what are you going to do now?"

"Easy: get our son back and work on rebuilding our bridges with him and his friends."

"In that case, then, I wish you the best of luck. In the meantime, how about we just try and forget that this whole thing never happened".

"Agreed"

"Yeah. Goodbye".

With that Jim shook the hands of both Frank and Eileen before heading towards the door.

Just before leaving, he stopped.

"Do me a favor. If you see Ryan, please send him my regards."

As Jim left, Alexander poked his head around the kitchen door.

"I assume from the fracas I heard that everything is now sorted out?"

Eileen smiled.

"Yes. Yes it is".

"Very good, ma'am. Erm, don't mind me saying, but I've just checked the live updates on the internet and apparently, Master Ryan has already beaten one of the Elite Four".

Reality suddenly hit the two.

"Oh crap! We forgot about that! Why didn't you tell us, man!?"

"Apologies, ma'am. I just didn't wish to get involved in all the drama."

"You know what, don't worry. It's alright. Who has he beaten?"

"Grimsley. Currently, he's winning 1-0 against Marshall"

"Frank, get the TV!"

Not wanting to hang around any longer, Frank bolted into the living room to set up the telly.

Eileen was about to join her husband, bu then thought of something.

"Alexander, can I ask a favor?"

"Anything to help, ma'am".

"Good. I need you to write me out a little something..."


	19. All Together Now...

As they stepped inside, Ryan and Blastoise stared up at the amazing structure they were in. Whilst it may have looked like something built in ancient times, it looked like it had just been built.

In the middle of the large room stood a large statue, engraved with the names of each and every league champion.

As he looked at it, Ryan noticed the names of Alder, Hilbert, Iris and Nate.

Hopefully, his name would eventually join them.

Then he spotted a name that caused him to raise his eyebrow.

Cedric Juniper.

"That couldn't be who I think that is, right?" he asked himself, confused.

He shook this thought off.

Perhaps it was just a coincidence.

Returning his attention back to the task at hand, Ryan took a look around.

Nearby were four different paths. Each one leading to a different member of the elite four: Grimsley, Shauntal, Caitlin and Marshal. Defeating all four of them would mean that Ryan would be allowed to take on Nate, the Unova Champion.

One advantage he had was that only he would be able to substitute Pokémon, but he still knew he had to watch his back.

But who to challenge first?

Ryan thought long and hard about this.

He'd heard experts had considered Caitlin to be the hardest of the elite four to beat, so he decided to save her for last.

He'd also heard bad things about Shauntal's Chandelure, so that ruled her out until later.

That only left Grimsley and Marshal.

"You know what, screw it." Ryan said to himself. "I'll just take on Grimsley first".

Ryan and Blastoise then wandered down the closest path on the left.

After a short trip down a dark tunnel, they arrived in a large, dimly lit chamber with a battlefield etched into the ground.

Around the sides of the chamber, TV cameras were tracking Ryan.

The opposite end of the field was in complete darkness, but Ryan could make out the faint shape of a person sitting in a chair.

"I have been expecting you" the figure said to him.

Slowly, the figure got out of the chair, wandered out of the shadow and stood on his end of the field.

It was Grimsley.

"I have heard many great things about you, Ryan" he said to him. "So far, your track record has been impressive, but now, it's time to put your skills to the test. Are you ready?"

"Always".

A referee then appeared on the side of the field.

"LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!" he declared

Grimsley and Ryan then produced pokeballs.

" **Go! Liepard!** "

" **Go! Lucario!** "

" **Okay Liepard, use Aerial Ace!** "

Liepard went charging towards Lucario.

"Lucario, I'm going to hold back again" Ryan said to Lucario. "You do what you have to do to win"

Lucario nodded at Ryan before charging towards Liepard.

However, just before they made contact with each other, Lucario leaped into the air before launching an Aura Sphere attack at the Cruel Pokémon, causing heavy damage. Then, as Lucario landed, it landed another Aura Sphere under its arm, causing even more damage.

In fact, so much so, it rendered Liepard unconscious.

"Liepard is unable to battle. Lucario wins!" Declared the referee.

Ryan and Lucario high-fived whilst Grimsley withdrew the unconscious Pokémon.

"Don't worry, Liepard. You tried your best"

Grimsley then produced a second pokeball.

" **Go! Krookodile!** "

Seeing as Krookodile was part Ground Type, Lucario decided it was best to defeat it as soon as possible.

Just as Krookodile was about to initiate an Earthquake attack, Lucario rushed up and began a high speed beatdown with a Close Combat attack.

Krookodile tried its best to counter, but it was simply no match for the Aura Pokémon.

Finally, Lucario landed one final punch, knocking Krookodile down.

"Krookodile is unable to battle. Lucario wins again!" Declared the referee.

As Lucario and Ryan shared another high five, Grimsley withdrew Krookodile.

"Don't worry, Krookodile. We just didn't get a chance to attack then".

He then produced his third pokeball.

" **Go! Scrafty!** "

Once again, Lucario rushed towards the defending Pokémon, ready to strike.

" **Use Brick Break!** "

Suddenly, Scrafty swung its hand down towards Lucario in a hard chopping motion.

However, the Aura Pokémon anticipated this, stopping before grabbing hold of Scrafty's chop.

The two struggled for a short while, with Scrafty even able to push Lucario down a little.

Then, suddenly, Lucario landed an almighty kick to Scrafty's legs, catching it off guard and allowing the Aura Pokémon to perform another Close Combat beatdown before knocking the opposing Pokémon down once again.

"Scrafty is unable to battle. Lucario wins again!" Declared the referee.

As Lucario and Ryan shared one more high five, Grimsley withdrew his unconscious Scrafty.

"Don't worry, Scrafty. At least you tried".

He then produced his final pokeball.

" **Go! Bisharp!** "

As Bisharp emerged onto the battlefield, Lucario began rapidly hurling Aura Sphere attacks towards it.

However, Bisharp anticipated this, dodging out of the way of every attack that came its way.

It was even taunting Lucario between attacks.

As expected, Lucario was indeed becoming enraged.

"Be calm, Lucario" Ryan said to the Aura Pokémon. "You can still do this".

Lucario calmed itself down.

Just then, it had an idea.

Quickly, it formed another Aura Sphere attack and launched it towards Bisharp.

As expected, Bisharp dodged out of the way.

But this was all part of Lucario's plan.

As Bisharp flew through the air, Lucario charged towards it, a blue bone forming in its paws.

As the two met, Lucario landed a rock hard hit to Bisharp's jaw before knocking it to the ground and landing one final Aura Sphere attack, rendering it unconscious.

"Bisharp is unable to battle. Lucario wins again, which means the victor is the challenger, Ryan!" Yelled the referee.

"Awesome! Great job, Lucario" Ryan said to Lucario as he withdrew his friend into its ball.

Grimsley then withdrew his unconscious Bisharp and went across to Ryan.

"Well, I can certainly see what all the fuss was about, now" he said to him. "You've successfully managed to defeat me, but let's see how you'll fare against the other three. Good luck".

"Thanks" Ryan replied, shaking his hand.

He and Blastoise then left the battle arena, heading for their next opponent.

* * *

As they entered the next arena, they noticed an immediate contrast with Grimsley's.

As they entered, they were greeted with the harsh glare of spotlights as they ascended a flight of steps into what appeared to be a large boxing arena.

There, on the opposite side of the arena, was Ryan's next opponent: Marshal, the Fighting Type expert.

"Ah, greetings. You must be Ryan" Marshal called out to him. "I've been watching your battle against Grimsley and I like what I've seen. But are you and your Pokémon ready to take me on?"

Ryan smirked.

"Always"

A referee appeared just outside the ring.

"LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!" The referee declared.

The two then produced their own pokeballs.

" **Throh! Go!** "

" **Go! Grumpig!** "

Ryan knew he had the upper hand here, so just decided to try and get this fight wrapped up as quickly as possible so he could move on to the next one.

" **Grumpig! Use Psychic!** "

As Grumpig's eyes glowed, a thin blue light surrounded Throh.

Suddenly, with a motion of one of Grumpig's arms, Throh was flung into the air before it came crashing down into the floor.

This worked better then anticipated, a Throh just laid there, unconscious.

"Throh is unable to battle. Grumpig wins!" Declared the referee.

"Yeah! Great start Grumpig!" Ryan said to the Manipulate Pokémon.

Marshal withdrew his unconscious Pokémon.

"Sorry, mate. They just reacted too fast there".

He then went for his second pokeball.

" **Sawk! Go!** "

Ryan just decided to go the way he was.

However, in the split second he took to decide this, Marshal was on the attack.

" **Use Payback!** "

However, as Sawk came charging towards Grumpig, the manipulate Pokémon anticipated this, quickly jumping out of the way before launching a Psyshock attack in retaliation.

Despite Sawk hanging on thanks to its Sturdy special ability, it was quickly knocked out by a psychic attack.

"Sawk is unable to battle. Grumpig wins again!" declared the referee.

As Ryan and Grumpig shared a high five, Marshal withdrew the unconscious Sawk.

"Don't worry, Sawk. At least you tried".

He then brought out his third pokeball.

" **Go! Mienshao!** "

Immediately, Mienshao was on the attack, trying to land a U-Turn attack.

" **Use Bounce!** "

Then, just before Mienshao reached Grumpig, the manipulate Pokémon leapt high into the air.

Realising what was about to happen, the Mienshao tried to frantically get out of the way of the falling Grumpig.

However, this was to be in vain.

_WHAM!_

The next thing Ryan and Marshal knew, Grumpig was lying on top of a flattened, unconscious Mienshao.

"Mienshao is unable to battle. Grumpig wins again!"

As Ryan and Grumpig celebrated, Marshal withdrew Mienshao.

"Sorry Mienshao. I just didn't react fast enough".

He then went for his final pokeball.

"It's now or never. **Conkeldurr!** "

Ryan knew this battle was essentially his by this point, so decided to wrap it up quickly.

" **Use Psychic!** "

As Grumpig's eyes began to glow once again, the blue aura surrounded the opposing Pokémon.

With quick motions of its arms, Grumpig then flung Conkeldurr into the air, causing it to strike the ceiling before it was hurled back towards the ground, causing it even further damage.

There's no way it could've even hoped to avoid being rendered unconscious.

"Conkeldurr is unable to battle. Grumpig wins, which means the victor is the challenger: RYAN!" Yelled the referee.

"YEAH! Great job Grumpig!" Ryan said happily as he, Grumpig and Blastoise embraced.

On the opposite side, Marshal withdrew his unconscious Conkeldurr into its ball before heading over and meeting Ryan on his side of the battlefield.

"Well, Ryan, you now have a good reason to be excited, my friend. You now have two more battle to win before you can take on Nate. Good luck".

"Sweet. Thanks" Ryan replied, shaking his hand.

He then withdrew his triumphant Grumpig before he and Blastoise headed out of arena and off to their next opponent.

Two down, two to go.

* * *

Ryan and Blastoise wandered into the pitch black room, unable to see anything.

What made it worse was that it was eerily silent.

"Hello?" he called out into the darkness.

There was a short silence before a voice replied.

"I've been waiting for you...Ryan". it said eerily.

Ryan froze.

Then, suddenly, the room became illuminated with an eerie blue light, emitting from strange lamps within the room.

On the floor, just in front of where Ryan was standing, was another large battlefield, etched into the ground.

On the side of the pitch, a referee was stood waiting.

As Ryan took position at his end, he noticed another figure step out of the shadows.

Shauntal.

She giggled.

"You should have seen the look on your face back then".

Ryan rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, are you ready Ryan?"

"Always".

The two then produced their first pokemon for the battle.

" **Cofagrigus! Go!** "

" **Go! Absol!** "

"LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!" Yelled the referee.

Ryan decided to get this battle wrapped up as quickly as possible so he and his team could move on to the next battle.

" **Use Dark Pulse!** "

Absol complied, launching a beam of black and dark purple energy towards the opposing Pokémon, causing a huge amount of damage.

Whilst Cofagrigus was still able to just about hold on, one quick Razor Wind attack quickly knocked it down.

"Cofagrigus is unable to battle. Absol wins!" Declared the referee.

"Alright, great start, Absol!" Ryan said to the Disaster Pokémon. "Keep it up".

Shauntal quickly withdrew her Cofagrigus.

"Sorry, my friend" she said to it. "I wasn't fast enough".

She then went for her second pokeball.

" **Go! Drifblim!** "

However, just then, Ryan had an idea.

"Take a nice long rest, Absol. **Return!** "

Ryan knew that if Absol made it to the battle against Caitlin, he'd have an edge there.

He then went for his second pokeball.

" **Flygon! Go!** "

As the mystic Pokémon appeared on the battlefield, it and the Drifblim began to attack each other.

" **Drifblim! Shadow Ball!** "

" **Flygon! Dragon Claw!** "

For the following few minutes, the two Pokémon traded blows with each other.

Whilst Drifblim was indeed strong, it was no match for Flygon, which resulted in the Pokémon being sent crashing into a nearby wall, unconscious.

"Drifblim is unable to battle. Flygon wins!" Declared the referee.

As Ryan thanked and congratulated Flygon, Shauntal withdrew her unconscious Drifblim.

"You fought hard, Drifblim" she said to her Pokémon. "Take a nice rest".

She looked over at Ryan as she took out her third Pokémon.

"I must say, your battling finesse is certainly impressive. But this is far from over. **Golurk!** "

Ryan then had another idea.

"Fantastic work, Flygon. **Return!** "

As the Mystic Pokémon returned to its ball, Ryan looked over at Blastoise.

"Go for it, buddy" he said to his friend.

Blastoise eagerly waddled onto the battlefield.

" **Use Heavy Slam!** "

Immediately, Golurk came charging towards the Shellfish Pokémon.

But Ryan had anticipated this.

" **Use Hydro Pump!** "

As Golurk closed in rapidly, Blastoise retaliated by launching two long, powerful jets of water out of the cannons on its back, sending Golurk flying back, into the wall at the far end, unconscious.

"Golurk is unable to battle. Blastoise wins!" Declared the referee.

As Ryan and Blastoise shared a happy high five, Shauntal withdrew Golurk.

"Don't worry, Golurk. These guys just seem to anticipate my every move".

She then brought out her final pokeball.

"It's all down to you. **Chandelure!** "

As Chandelure appeared on the battlefield, it and Blastoise began staring each other down, waiting to see if their opponent would attack first.

Blastoise saw his chance and took it, launching another Hydro Pump attack.

However, Chandelure quickly dodged out of the way before retaliating with an Energy Ball attack.

Blastoise blocked this by using Iron Defense, minimising the damage.

The two then furiously exchanged blows for the next couple of minutes before finally, Blastoise managed to send Chandelure the wrong way before landing one final Hydro Pump attack, sending into the giant shape in the wall caused by Golurk, unconscious.

"Chandelure is unable to battle!" Yelled the referee. "Blastoise wins again, which means the victor is the challenger: Ryan!"

"YEAH! Great work, my friend. We're one step closer!" Ryan said happily to Blastoise as they embraced.

Shauntal withdrew her unconscious Chandelure before heading over to Ryan, defeated, but satisfied.

"Well Ryan, I'm probably not the first to say this, but there's a battle fire burning within you that I haven't seen since when Nate first rocked up here. Keep going the way you are and you might just win this thing. Good Luck".

"Thanks" Ryan replied happily, shaking hands with her.

He and Blastoise then left the arena to take on the final member of the elite four: Caitlin.

Three down, one to go.

* * *

As Ryan and Blastoise ascended the final set of stairs, then slowly felt a sense of excitement building within them.

This was it. The final member of the elite Four.

If they won here, they would finally be able to take on Nate and, hopefully, defeat him.

As they reached the top of the stairs, they found themselves in another chamber, this one with white marble walls and a black marble floor with a battlefield placed in the centre.

The room somehow seemed to give off a relaxing aura.

On the opposite side of the battlefield was a young girl with long blonde hair.

Caitlin. The strongest of the elite Four.

"I have been expecting you, Ryan" she said to him. "I have been closely watching your trials against my colleagues and I would be lying if I said I wasn't impressed. But now it is time for you to face me. So, before we begin, let me ask you something. Are you ready?"

Ryan smirked.

"As ready as I'll ever be".

The two then produced their pokeballs.

"Alright then. **Musharna! Go!** "

" **Absol! Go!** "

"LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!" Yelled the referee.

Ryan was immediately on the attack.

" **Absol! Use Sucker Punch!** "

Absol complied, rushing up to the floating Musharna and landing a powerful Sucker Punch attack.

Despite the increased damage, Musharna still managed to hang on.

" **Use Charge Beam!** "

Musharna soon retaliated by launching a powerful beam of electricity at the disaster Pokémon.

However, Absol reacted before it hit, neatly flipping out of the way before retaliating with a Dark Pulse attack.

This time, Musharna didn't hang on.

"Musharna is unable to battle. Absol wins!" Declared the referee.

"Great start, Absol!" Ryan said to his Pokémon. "Let's keep things going".

Caitlin withdrew her unconscious Musharna.

"Oh well. At least you tried" she said to her Pokémon.

She then produced her second pokeball.

"Pretty good start, Ryan. But lets see how you handle this. **Reuniclus!** "

Absol decided to keep going the way it already was.

However, as it launched another Dark Pulse attack, Reuniclus retaliated by launching a Focus Blast attack, cancelling it out and causing the two attacks to explode when they met, with the two Pokémon receiving damage from parts of the Dark Pulse attack.

However, Absol was then able to use this temporary lull to rush up to the opposing Pokémon before landing three successive Sucker Punch attacks.

Reuniclus tried to land a Psychic attack, but it was too slow.

This, combined with the damage it had received from the exploding Dark Pulse/Focus Blast attack, was more than enough to knock it out.

"Reuniclus is unable to battle. Absol wins again!" Declared the referee.

As the young trainer congratulated his Pokémon, Caitlin withdrew her unconscious Reuniclus.

"Don't sweat it, my friend" she said to her Pokémon. "They were just moving too fast".

She then went for her third pokeball.

" **Sigilyph! Come on out!** "

Immediately, Absol went rushing towards the opposing Pokémon, ready to land another Sucker Punch attack.

However, at it leaped into the air, Sigilyph caught it off guard with an Ice Beam attack, freezing it in a block of ice, much to Ryan's shock.

Sigilyph then took it further by taking hold of Absol with a psychic attack and hurling the Disaster Pokémon at one of the walls, dealing more damage and breaking it out of the ice.

As Absol staggered back to its feet, it wasn't looking in the best of shape, but was still determined to win.

As the Disaster Pokémon retaliated by launching a Dark Pulse attack towards Sigilyph, the opposing Pokémon reacted by launching another Ice Beam attack, with the two attacks cancelling each other out.

But Absol was planning for this.

Quickly, stopping the Dark Pulse attack, it quickly launched a Razor Wind attack, just a mere second after stopping the Dark Pulse.

Thankfully for Absol, the attack successfully managed to hit Sigilyph, dealing damage and catching it off guard.

Absol then used this moment to launch another Dark pulse attack, this time without getting cancelled out by an Ice Beam.

This was just about enough to render it unconscious.

"Sigilyph is unable to battle. Absol wins again!" Declared the referee.

Caitlin withdrew her Pokémon.

"You were amazing out there" she said. "Take a nice rest".

On the opposite side of the field, Absol was looking significantly worse for wear.

Ryan considered withdrawing Absol for Arcanine.

But looking at the way Absol defiantly faced the opposing trainer, he knew what to do.

"Don't give up now, Absol" Ryan said. "We're almost there"

Caitlin then pulled out her final pokeball.

"It's now or never! **Gothitelle!** "

Absol decided it was time to finish this.

Before Gothitelle could react, Absol rushed towards it before furiously landing Sucker Punch after Sucker Punch, dealing huge amounts of damage and catching it off guard.

Gothitelle retaliated with a Thunderbolt attack, dealing even more damage, but if it had gone for the Psychic attack instead, it would've been enough to knock Absol out.

Absol just continued on, unabated.

Then, finally, after much pummeling, Absol landed one final Sucker Punch attack, knocking Gothitelle backwards before it crashed to the floor, unconscious.

"Gothitelle is unable to battle! Absol wins again, which means the victor is the challenger: Ryan!"

With that, Ryan rushed on to the battlefield and happily embraced his battered Absol.

"That was amazing, my friend" he said softly to the Disaster Pokémon. "Thank you".

Caitlin withdrew her unconscious Gothitelle and went over to meet with Ryan.

"Well, I'd certainly be lying if I didn't say that I'm amazed by the performance your Absol out there. There's no doubt about it: you are league crushing material. Now, you are able to battle Nate for the ultimate prize: Unova League Champion. Well done and good luck".

"Great. Thanks" Ryan replied, withdrawing his Absol and shaking hands with Caitlin.

He and Blastoise then headed out of the chamber to prepare for the final push.

* * *

"You know, I couldn't be more proud of all of you" Ryan said to his team of six as he inspected them back in the large room where they'd started, applying potions to their battle wounds.

Out of the six, it was poor Absol who needed to most potion applied, as the disaster Pokémon looked like she was about to faint.

Nevertheless, the team was soon rested and back up to full fighting strength.

Just then, though, they heard a familiar voice.

"Ryan" It echoed from all around. "Congratulations. You have successfully defeated the elite four."

It was Nate.

"I must say, everyone here has been watching your battles on the screens and we've all been thoroughly impressed. But whilst this has been impressive, you and your team have one final opponent to battle. Me."

The area around the statue in the middle of the room glowed blue.

"Come on down when you're ready".

Ryan looked back at his team.

"Well, it's been a long road but now we have just one more step to make. Even if we don't make it, I would like to take this time to thank you for everything."

He then pulled out his five empty pokeballs.

"See you five down there".

Once he had returned the five to their pokeballs, he reattached them to his belt.

"Shall we?" He asked Blastoise.

"Blaaaaast!" The shellfish Pokémon replied.

"You said it, my friend".

The two then stepped onto the glowing blue area.

As it began to lower into the blackness below, a feeling of nervous excitement was building within him.

This was where his journey would finish.

It was time to finish this.

* * *

As the lift descended into the cavern below, Ryan began to feel increasingly nervous. For him, this was it. After years of dreaming of this moment, he would finally be able to take on Nate and, maybe, accomplish his dream of becoming the Unova League Champion.

Just one more battle.

Eventually, the lift reached the cavern. Ahead stood a long flight of stairs, leading up to what looked like a giant Parthenon.

Ryan looked over at Blastoise.

"Well, this is it. Now, it's all or nothing. When we battle Nate in a few moments, it will be to win the Unova League" he said to his friend. "Even if we don't win, the least we could do is give it our all".

Ryan then took a nervous deep breath before beginning the long ascent to the top, with Blastoise following him.

As he got closer to the Parthenon, he was starting to shake nervously.

At one point, he even thought about running back down the steps and hiding in fear.

"No!" Ryan thought defiantly to himself "I can do this".

The two then got up the final step before standing directly at the Parthenon's entrance.

"Let's do this" Ryan said to Blastoise.

The two then stepped through the entrance.

Much to their surprise, they were greeted by a giant tidal wave of cheering and applause.

As they looked around, they found themselves in a giant, floodlit stadium, with the seats absolutely packed.

In the VIP seats in the front row, sat his friends, all rooting for him.

Camera crews had their cameras pointing right at him.

"Enjoy the moment, my friend" Ryan said to Blastoise as they waved to the crowd.

As Ryan stared down the pitch, he spotted the Champion's throne at the opposite end.

There, seated on the throne, was Nate himself, this time with the champion's crown on his head.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, I don't know who's going to win this, but I can certainly tell you that we're in for a real humdinger of a battle today. In a few moments time, Ryan, one of the most talked about young trainers at the moment, will take on Nate, our League Champion. You know, it's hard to believe that only earlier this month, Ryan was starting out on his journey and now he's here"

"It just goes to prove the incredibly battling strength and determination he and his Pokémon have carried with them. Now then, how about we stop talking about what may happen in the ensuing battle and see what will happen".

"Good idea".

Nate then stood up from his throne, causing everyone else to fall into silence.

"Ryan. For me and, almost certainly, you, this day couldn't come round fast enough. When I first saw you battle at Driftveil City, I knew there was something special in you. For I saw within you a very special passion for battling that I only see in the greatest trainers. But for you, that passion was greater than I've ever seen. I knew that I could expect great things from you, Ryan. And so far, you've proven me right. Now, you know the drill. this will be a full six-on-six battle. The winner is the first one to take down the entire opposing team. Only the challenger is allowed to substitute. So let me ask you a little something"

Nate whipped out a pokeball.

"Are you ready?"

Ryan grinned.

"Ready as I'll ever be" he proudly replied.

The crowd began cheering at this.

"LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!" Declared the referee.

" **Gigalith! Go!** "

As Gigalith appeared on the field, Ryan turned to his friend.

"Go for it". he said.

Blastoise waddled onto the field.

" **Okay, Blastoise! Use Hydro Pump!** "

Blastoise complied, launching two long jets of water out of the cannons on its back, towards Gigalith.

The Compressed Pokémon tried to dodge out of the way, but it didn't move fast enough.

The two jets of water struck it, launching it backwards and dealing a huge amount of damage.

However, Gigalith still managed to hold on, thanks to its Sturdy special ability.

" **Gigalith! Explosion!** "

Gigalith began to violently glow bright.

However, Ryan had an idea to stop Gigalith from exploding.

" **Hydro Pump! Once more!** "

Blastoise launched two more jets of water towards the glowing Gigalith, striking it just before it could explode.

Thankfully for Blastoise, this was successful as the jets of water launched Gigalith backwards, knocking it out.

"Gigalith is unable to battle. Blastoise wins!" Declared the referee.

"Yeah! Great start, buddy!" Ryan said happily to Blastoise.

"And things couldn't have started better for Ryan, as he and his team are, for the moment at least, winning this battle".

"That being said though, it was to be expected at this point, seeing as it was a Gigalith against a Blastoise".

Nate withdrew the unconscious Gigalith.

"Don't worry, Gigalith. I just didn't react fast enough".

He then pulled out a second pokeball.

" **Go! Ferrothorn!** "

Ryan instantly reacted to this.

"Take a rest, Blastoise. You've done good so far" Ryan said to his friend.

As Blastoise waddled off the field, Ryan pulled out another Pokeball.

" **Go! Arcanine!** "

Ryan's tactic at this point was to try and wrap things up as quickly and easily as possible. Plus, seeing as Nate couldn't switch out his Pokemon, Ryan had the upper hand.

" **Alright Arcanine, use Heat Wave!** "

As Arcanine opened its jaws, a fiery orange ball appeared in its fangs. Then, scorching winds flew off the heat ball and struck Ferrothorn, dealing four times the ordinary amount of damage.

So much so, it was a one hit knockout.

"Ferrothorn is unable to battle. Arcanine wins!" Declared the referee.

As Ryan, thanked Arcanine for its efforts, the crowd continued cheering.

"Wow! Talk about a wipeout! This battle might slowly be turning into one!"

Nate withdrew the unconscious Ferrothorn.

"Don't worry Ferrothorn. They were just going too fast".

He then produced his third pokeball.

" **Go! Emboar!** "

Ryan reacted instantly to this as well.

" **Arcanine, Return!** **Grumpig, go for it!** "

This time, however, it was Nate and Emboar who reacted first.

" **Emboar! Use Flare Blitz!** "

Emboar complied, surrounding itself in fire before launching itself in Grumpig's direction, striking it hard.

However, this left Emboar with recoil damage.

" **Grumpig! Use Psychic!** "

Grumpig quickly retaliated.

As its eyes glowed blue, it hit Emboar with a powerful telekinetic force, dealing a huge amount of damage.

Despite this, though, Emboar still managed to hang on.

" **Retaliate with Head Smash!** "

As Emboar shot at its opponent, it began to cover itself in whitish-blue energy, ready to smash into Grumpig.

However, as it flew towards Grumpig, the Manipulate Pokémon reacted by unleashing a Psyshock attack.

As the odd psychic wave attacked Emboar, dealing a huge amount of damage, it kept flying for a couple of seconds before finally, the attack faltered and Emboar fell to the ground, skidding along a bit before stopping just in front of Grumpig, unconscious.

"Emboar is unable to battle! Grumpig wins!" Declared the referee.

"Yeah! Great job, Grumpig. We're now halfway there" Ryan said happily to his Pokémon.

Nate withdrew his Emboar.

"Don't worry, my friend. You fought as hard as you could and that's all I could ask for".

He then went for his fourth pokeball.

" **Go! Haxorus!** "

Ryan reacted quickly to this, bringing out two pokeballs, including Grumpig's empty one.

" **Grumpig, return! Flygon, come on out!** "

They may have been at the halfway point, but Ryan knew to keep his wits about him.

" **Now Flygon! Use Dragon Claw!** "

Flygon complied, charging at the Haxorus and landing a Dragon Claw attack.

However, it didn't seem like Haxorus had sustained much damage.

" **Haxorus! Night Daze!** "

Much to Ryan's surprise, Haxorus then released a pitch black shock wave, dealing Flygon damage in retaliation.

Ryan then remembered something

Haxorus can't learn Night Daze.

Just then, a purple light surrounded Haxorus as t began to change shape.

Ryan then realized what he was looking at.

As the light eventually faded away, Haxorus had completely disappeared and in its place was totally different Pokémon.

Zoroark.

Ryan chuckled, shaking his head.

"Should've seen that one coming from a mile away".

He then pulled out two pokeballs.

" **Flygon, return! Lucario, go for it!** "

As the mystic Pokémon disappeared back into its pokeball, the aura Pokémon took its place.

" **Now Lucario, use Close Combat!** "

Lucario began to rush towards Zoroark.

Zoroark tried to catch Lucario off guard by launching a Punishment attack, but all this seemed to do was glance off the charging Lucario.

The Aura Pokémon very quickly reached Zoroark where he proceeded to begin one more high speed beatdown on his opponent.

No matter how hard Zoroark tried to counter, Lucario was just too fast.

After Lucario had landed one final kick to the face, flipping through the air as he did, Zoroark fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Zoroark is unable to battle. Lucario wins".

"Yeah! Fantastic work, Lucario!" Ryan said happily to the Pokémon as they shared a high five with the crowd happily cheering at the high octane battle that was unfolding before them.

Nate withdrew his Zoroark.

"Don't worry, my friend. You did good".

He then produced his fifth pokeball.

"Let's see how they handle this. **Lucario!** "

For the next few moments, the two Lucario stared each other down. Ryan's ordinary coloured Lucario and Nate's shiny Lucario.

Then, suddenly, the two launched themselves at each other, engaging in a furious bout of hand-to-hand combat.

They were moving so fast, their limbs were just blurs.

It was almost like something out of Dragon Ball Z.

For a short time, it looked like Nate's Lucario would be the victor.

However, as it was beginning to look that way, Ryan's Lucario grabbed hold of one of the opposing Lucario's fists.

As the Lucario tried with the other fist, the other caught that one to.

He tried to strike with a leg, but the other Lucario blocked that one as well.

Then, Ryan's Lucario used this moment to land a headbutt on the opposing Lucario, dealing some damage and stunning it.

He then used this moment to drop back into a fighting stance before landing another Close Combat beatdown, this time without it getting blocked.

Halfway through, Lucario even brought out a Bone Rush attack, using that to finish the beatdown.

Finally, after one last strike to the face, Nate's Lucario fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Nate's Lucario is unable to battle! Ryan's Lucario wins again!" Declared the referee.

As the crowd cheered, Ryan was starting to get very excited.

He was now just one more Pokemon away from completing his dream.

Nate withdrew his Lucario.

"You were amazing out there, Lucario. Take a nice rest".

He then went for his final pokeball.

"For real this time. **Haxorus!** "

As Ryan studied the black Haxorus, he decided to try and get this wrapped up as quickly as possible.

"You've done great, Lucario. Take a nice rest". He said, withdrawing the Aura Pokémon.

As he did so, he pulled out another pokeball.

" **Flygon! Let's finish this!** "

The two Pokémon stared each other down before charging towards each other.

" **Haxorus! Dragon Pulse!** "

" **Flygon! Dragon Tail!** "

As Haxorus tried to shoot Flygon down with a Dragon Pulse attack, Flygon narrowly dodged out of the way before retaliating with a Dragon Tail attack, dealing the Axe Jaw Pokémon some damage.

However, before Flygon could get back into the air again, Haxorus grabbed hold of its tail and flung it towards a nearby wall before launching another Dragon Pulse attack.

It struck just before the Mystic Pokemon reached the wall, making the impact even harder.

As the dust cleared, Flygon was embedded in the wall, unconscious.

"Flygon is unable to battle. Haxorus wins!"

Ryan was shocked at this. Not just at the fact that final had been rendered unconscious, but how quickly it happened.

He withdrew the mystic Pokémon.

"Don't worry, buddy. We just didn't see that coming".

He pulled out another pokeball.

" **Lucario!** "

As the Aura Pokemon reappeared on the battlefield, it attacked Haxorus with a Dragon Pulse attack of its own.

Each time it struck Haxorus, it did seem to be causing damage, but not quickly enough.

Haxorus also tried to retaliate, but each one would have their damage halved, due to the fact that Lucario was part Steel type.

Seeing an opening, Lucario rushed forwards, hoping to land another Close Combat beatdown.

But Nate had anticipated this.

" **Giga Impact!** "

As Lucario leaped into the air, ready to land the first punch, Haxorus charged towards its opponent, its body surrounding in orange streaks.

As the two collided, this created a small explosion, kicking up a lot of dust.

However, out of the dust came Lucario, crashing into the wall behind it, nearly hitting Ryan.

It tried to pick itself back up, but eventually ended up face down in the ground, unconscious.

"Lucario is unable to battle! Haxorus wins again!"

Ryan was starting to become concerned. He'd just lost the two Pokémon that had the right moves to be able to quickly knock Haxorus out.

"You tried your best, Lucario. That's all I could ask for" he said, withdrawing it to its ball.

He then went for his third ball.

" **Absol!** "

The Disaster Pokemon decided to show Haxorus its place, launching a couple of Dark Pulse attacks, which hit thanks to Haxorus being immobile, due to the Giga Impact attack.

However, when Haxorus did become mobile again, the Axe Jaw Pokemon immediately swung things back in its favour, by launching one Dragon Pulse attack to stun Absol and another to deal more damage.

Things were then finished for Absol when Haxorus landed a Dragon Claw attack, knocking it down and rendering it unconscious.

"Absol is unable to battle! Haxorus wins again!"

Ryan withdrew the disaster Pokemon.

"You've been through a lot today. You deserve a rest".

He went for his fourth pokeball.

" **Grumpig**!"

Whilst Grumpig didn't have the initial advantage of Haxorus being immobile, it was still able to inflict a small, yet significant amount of damage by launching Haxorus backwards with a Psychic attack before hitting it with a Psyshock attack.

However, Haxorus quickly dealt with Grumpig with one well picked Dragon Pulse, causing a considerable amount of damage, due to being a critical hit.

Haxorus then sealed the deal by landing a Dragon Tail attack, sending it flying backwards before it skidded to a halt, face down on the floor, unconscious.

"Grumpig is unable to battle! Haxorus wins again!"

Now Ryan was really starting to get worried. The last two Pokemon he had were Fire and Water types and they both weren't very effective towards Dragon Types.

He withdrew Grumpig.

"Don't worry, Grumpig. At least you tried your best."

He then pulled out his final pokeball.

" **Arcanine!** "

However, as Arcanine appeared on the battlefield, Ryan remembered something important.

His Arcanine knew Outrage.

" **Arcanine! Outrage!** "

As he said this, a red aura appeared, emulating off Arcanine's body as the eyes of the legendary Pokémon started to glow red.

Then, it released one loud roar before charging towards the opposing Pokémon, fangs bared.

For the next few minutes, Arcanine released a torrent of fury, biting, kicking and headbutting Haxorus, dealing a huge amount of damage.

However, as the Outrage gradually came to and end, Arcanine was left staggering around the battlefield, completely disorientated.

It had been confused.

This moment allowed Haxorus to stagger back to its feet before landing a Dragon Tail attack, followed up by a powerful Giga Impact.

A critical hit.

As Arcanine hit the ground hard, it was rendered unconscious.

"Arcanine is unable to battle! Haxorus wins again!"

The atmosphere within the stadium was really starting to buzz with excitement. Both competitors were now down to their last Pokémon.

They were once again on even terms.

Ryan withdrew Arcanine.

"You did good out there. Thank you".

He then looked over at Blastoise.

"It's now or never, my friend".

Blastoise waddled back on to the battlefield.

"Well, Ryan, this is it. We're both down to our last Pokémon. As far as I can see, either one of us could still win this. So tell me, you still good to go?"

"Always. **Blastoise, Hydro Pump!** "

Blastoise aimed both its cannons towards Haxorus before unleashed furious torrents of water out of both, hitting the opposing Pokémon.

However, despite Haxorus being incredibly worn out by this point, the attack seemed to do minimal damage.

" **Dragon Pulse!** "

Haxorus retaliated by unleashing one more Dragon Pulse attack, knocking Blastoise back.

" **Giga Impact!** "

The Axe Jaw Pokemon then rapidly charged towards Blastoise, its body being surrounded by orange streaks.

As it struck, Blastoise was sent flying through the air before crashing into the wall.

Despite receiving a lot of damage from those two attacks, Blastoise managed to get back onto its feet.

"Just hang in there Blastoise. We can still win this thing" Ryan said to Blastoise.

However, as he looked at his friend, he could see a look of though on his face.

"What're you planning, mate?"

Much to the surprise of everyone, Blastoise then turned around to face away from Ryan before lying on its stomach and hiding within its shell, its cannons pointing to the wall on either side of Ryan.

Whilst most of the spectators were confused, Ryan could instantly tell what Blastoise was planning.

The same thing they'd used when battling Roxie.

"Go for it, buddy" Ryan whispered, patting Blastoise's shell.

Then, suddenly, both cannons unleashed two long, ferocious jets of water at the walls.

Blastoise's shell began to move away from where it was placed, rapidly picking up speed.

At this point, everyone could see what Blastoise had been planning.

Haxorus saw this too and desperately tried to dodge out of the way.

However, every time he tried, he couldn't move an inch, thanks to the effects of Giga Impact.

When Haxorus could eventually move, it was too late to dodge out of the way.

There was only one option left: go kamikaze.

As Blastoise rapidly closed in, Haxorus charged towards its opponent, its body surrounded by orange streaks for one final Giga Impact.

As they met in the middle of the battlefield, the impact released a huge amount of energy, causing a massive explosion and kicking up tons of dust.

As the energy from the explosion dies away, everyone was left coughing and spluttering from the smoke, which also clouded the battlefield.

"BLASTOISE, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"

"HAXORUS, SPEAK TO ME!"

As the dust eventually cleared, the outcome could finally be seen.

In the middle of the battlefield, surrounded by rubble were the two Pokémon. Haxorus was out cold, battered and bruised.

However, Blastoise's shell was scratched and scarred, whilst covered in dust.

For a few moments, everyone watched and waited with baited breath to see if either one would pick themselves up.

Then, finally...

Two arms poked out of the shell, followed by two legs and finally a head.

Blastoise picked itself up.

Whilst the shell had seen better days, Blastoise himself looked almost completely unscathed.

Ryan had realised what had happened.

Not only had the shell shielded Blastoise from most of the damage, he had used Iron Defense at the last possible second, reducing the damage even further.

Haxorus is unable to battle!" Declared the referee. "Blastoise wins, which means the victor is the challenger: Ryan!"

With that, the entire stadium erupted into cheering as fireworks went off overhead.

"Well, it's been a long and hard battle, but finally, we have a victor. He very nearly lost it, but now, his dream has been realised. Congratulations Ryan. YOU ARE THE NEW UNOVA LEAGUE CHAMPION!"

As the crowd celebrated, Ryan was left standing in shock.

Not too long ago, he was just an unassuming rich kid from Floccesy Town.

But now, he had done it.

It had been a long journey, but he was finally there.

He was now the Unova League Champion.

Tears of joy welled in his eyes as a smile slowly began to spread across his face.

Finally, he let out a long, loud yell, waving his arms in the air and crying happily.

_**"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSS! YEEE-HAAA! YOU FREAKING BEAUTY! YEEEEES! YESYESYESYESYES! YES!"** _

He and Blastoise then rushed towards each other before tearfully embracing.

"Thank you, buddy" he sobbed. "Unbelievable. *sniff* WE DID IT! YEEEEEESS!"

It was at this point that Ryan's friends all leaped out of their seats, ran onto the pitch and mobbed him, congratulating their friend.

"YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HAPPY I AM FOR YOU RIGHT NOW!" Brendan yelled out as he and Ryan engaged in a tearful bro-hug.

"THANKS MATE!" Ryan replied, as they were joined by Jason and Selina.

As for Nate, he stood on the other side of the battlefield, shocked.

He'd lost.

Then, a small smile appeared on his face.

That was the best battle he'd had in ages.

He withdrew Haxorus.

"You were amazing out there, Haxorus. Thank you".

He then went over to the group, standing face to face with Ryan.

"Now I'll admit, I'm incredibly gutted that I lost, but to be honest, I couldn't be any happier with a defeat. You've fought long and hard to reach this position and for that, you deserve it. Congrats".

"Thanks, Nate". Ryan replied, shaking his hand.

Much to his surprise, Nate then knelt down in front of Ryan, taking the crown off his head.

"This now belongs to you, my friend".

Elated, Ryan pulled off his cap and placed it on the head of Blastoise before Nate could put the crown on.

A hand lightly tapped him on the shoulder.

As Ryan turned around, he was shocked to find Red looking right at him.

Then something happened that Ryan hadn't expected.

A small grin appeared on Red's face as he held out his hand.

"Thanks Red" Ryan said to him, shaking his hand.

"Anyway, it's time to get you logged into the hall of fame" Nate said to him.

As the group went over to the throne, a small panel came out of the ground.

On it were six pokeball slots.

Ryan inserted his five pokeballs into the slots.

As an image of Ryan appeared on the screens, the images of Lucario, Flygon, Grumpig, Absol and Arcanine appeared alongside.

Nate then used a spare scanner to input Blastoise.

Just then, a lone news reporter and a cameraman ran onto the battlefield and up to Ryan.

"Ryan, you are now the Unova Champion. Congratulations. How does it feel?" She asked.

"It feel...bloody amazing"

"Admittedly, you nearly lost it out there during the second half. Was that scary for you?"

"Well, duh. Obviously."

"it also appears that during the closing stages of the battle, Blastoise managed to formulate a plan similar to the one you used in Virbank City. What do you think of that".

"I think its brilliant. It's a testament to just how smart Pokémon can really be, so I thank him for that".

"Anything else to add?"

"Yes. I have to thank quite a few people. Firstly, I'd like to thank Brendan, May, Jason and Selina for sticking with me on this crazy journey and being with me at every turn. I'd also like to thank my Pokémon for giving it their all in each and every battle. I'd also like to thank my darling Skyla for helping me to find love and I'd like to thank everyone else here for helping me out along the way. But finally, and I know this is going to shock some of you, but I'd also like to thank my parents. I know, as of recently, they've made some...questionable decisions, but if it wasn't for them helping me on my journey before I even set off, I don't think I would've gotten here this quickly, so thank you".

As the reporter moved over to Nate, Ryan clambered onto Blastoise's back as the crowd continued cheering, pumping his fists into the air.

He couldn't have felt happier if he tried.

* * *

Needless to say, everyone was ecstatic once they arrived back at the Pokémon center and Ryan had healed up his Pokémon.

As a celebration, Nate had taken the liberty of ordering dozens of different pizzas for the entire entourage.

"You can actually afford all this?" Selina had asked.

"What do you expect? This is what you can afford when you become a champion.

As the group waited for their arrivals, they all sat around, happily talking to each other about the battle.

But for the newly crowned champion, he was sat at a far off table with his head lying on the lap of his girlfriend, with her gently stroking him.

"Well, you certainly had me out there. For a few moments, I thought you wouldn't make it"

"I thought that too. But hey, I wasn't going to go that easily".

"Indeed you weren't. You are now king of the Unova League and every king needs his queen"

Skyla then leaned down and pecked Ryan on the lips.

"You're the best, you know". Ryan said softly to her.

However, just then, the commotion seemed to go curiously quiet.

"Uh guys, we've got a code red here!" Jason said worriedly, pointing out the front doors.

There, slowly emerging from the darkness were two silhouettes.

Ryan's parents.

If this was before the League, Ryan would've just upped and bolted.

But this wasn't before the league.

"I'll handle this" he said to the others as he got out of his seat. "Be ready to back me up if need be".

Ryan marched out of the front doors, followed by the others.

To begin with, the three said nothing. They just stood in awkward silence as the rest of the trainers looked on.

The silence seemed to drag on for a while, as Ryan stood before his parents with a steely look on his face, his arms crossed.

However, slowly, the look began to soften up.

A massive grin slowly spread across Ryan's face before he threw his arms around his parents, happily embracing them.

The trainers now looked on in confusion.

"Wait...what?"

"Are we missing something here?"

Ryan and his parents broke the hug, with Ryan sighing happily.

"Damn, it feels good to do that"

"Hey, Ryan" Brendan asked, poking his head out of the Pokemon Center "Don't mind me asking, but are we missing something here?"

"Quite simply..." Ryan replied "...despite everything that's happened over the past few weeks, my parents aren't bad people. They just happened to make a bad decision that grew beyond their control".

"Actually, that's part of the reason why we're here" His father interjected.

He produced a folded piece of paper.

"You might want to take a look at this"

Ryan took the paper, opening it to see the contents.

The actual contents of the paper mainly consisted of several large blocks of paragraphs, filled with several large words that took Ryan a while to understand. However, upon reading further, Ryan picked up the general idea of the letter.

"Is this a restraining order?"

Frank Keyes smiled.

"Damn right it is. Once this thing is successfully filed, Lucy won't be allowed within twenty feet of you"

"Does that mean...?"

"Of course it does. The deal is off. You'll get to keep Blastoise"

Upon hearing this, a sense of relief washed over the other trainers.

Blastoise happily waddled out of the Pokemon Center, waddling up to Ryan's parents before embracing them in a tight hug.

"I guess he's trying to say "thank you"". Ryan remarked.

"That...That's alright, Blastoise" Frank groaned as the Shellfish Pokemon released them from his grip, only to have Ryan throw his arms around him and his mother again and embracing them in another hug.

"I've got to say thanks as well" Ryan added. "Thanks for making everything right again"

"It's alright, Ryan. Besides, we've got a little thank you to say ourselves".

As Ryan broke the hug, Frank cleared his throat.

"Hello there. My name Frank Keyes. This is my wife, Eileen"

"Hello"

"We are Ryan's parents. A few months before Ryan left on his journey, we agreed for him to be married off to a girl by the name of Lucy Maynard. What we once thought to be a good idea backfired completely, with Ryan eventually leaving home early. The first thing we have to say to everyone is this: we're sorry. We're truly sorry. We're sorry that you had to be dragged into a situation that we created and couldn't gain control off again. But I also have something else to say: thank you. Thank you for being there to look out for our son and giving him help when we needed it the most".

Several positive murmurs were heard in the group of trainers.

"So...are we good? Are we...are we funky fresh?"

This earned several chuckles.

Ryan simply face-palmed.

"You did not just say that, dad"

"Just trying to be friendly"

"Hey, that's alright." Brendan said to them, stepping forwards and shaking Frank's hand. "You've owned up for your mistakes, so that's fine by us".

"That's good to hear. Thank you"

"Hey, how about sticking around for some pizza? We've got several boxes left"

"You know what, it's been a while since we've had pizza. That would be great, thanks".

"Well alrighty then"

Brendan turned to the others.

"PIZZA!" He yelled out.

This earned a nice little cheer from the other trainers before they began heading back into the Pokemon Center, Ryan, Blastoise and his parents among the group.

"Uh, hey, Ryan" Frank asked his son as they stepped through the doors. "Can I ask you a question? Father to son?"

"Sure. Go ahead"

"So, whilst you were on your journey, we heard that you and Skyla had apparently become a thing"

"That's right"

"I assume you two...you know...kissed and all that"

"Yes..."

Ryan had no idea where his dad was going with this.

"Be honest with me. Did you..."

He leaned in to whisper into Ryan's ear.

"...do mattress dancing?"

Ryan was dumbfounded.

"I'm sorry what?"

"You know, the feather bed jig?"

"Err..."

"The thang? The Horizontal Hula?...Did you make bacon?"

Ryan understood what his Dad was getting at now.

"Oh my god, really?!" he groaned, placing a hand against his head as his parents couldn't help but snicker.

* * *

It seemed like a surreal experience for Ryan to be returning home after all this time.

On the way back home, a doubt had welled up in his mind about the authenticity of his parent's apology. Secretly, he feared that his parents had lied and that Lucy would be waiting there for him, Jason, Selina and Skyla, who were flying alongside Flygon on the backs of Skyla's Pokemon.

Ryan had plenty of time to contemplate this on the journey back from the League.

However, as Keyes Manor eventually came into sight, courtyard lit up by floodlights, Ryan breathed a sigh of relief.

Nothing.

No one was there waiting to drag him off.

The four flying Pokemon touched down behind the gate, allowing Ryan, his parents and his friends to clamber off.

His mother let out a breath.

"Ryan, can you do me a favor, please?"

"Yeah, mum?"

"Next time I ask to ride on the back of a Pokemon like that, just...say no!" She responded, trying to keep her balance.

Ryan chuckled.

"Request duly noted" he replied before turning to his friends. "Anyway, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our humble abode"

"I don't think "humble" is the right word to describe it" Selina replied.

"I couldn't say it better" added Jason. "All I can say is that it hasn't changed a bit since we were last here"

"Wow. You said you were rich, but I didn't expect this rich"

"You have no idea how many people have said that"

However, at this point, all conversation seemed to stop as they spotted a figure sprinting up the driveway towards them.

Not knowing who it was, Skyla bristled up, preparing for the worst.

Ryan, on the other hand, just smiled happily.

"Don't worry, you guys. That's our butler"

"GOOD GOD, IT REALLY IS!" Alexander yelled happily. "MASTER RYAN!"

The champion was greeted by a massive hug from the butler.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you, again. And in one piece, I must add"

"It's alright. I'm just glad to be home. Anyway, these are my friends; Jason, Selina and Skyla" the champion replied, indicating his compadres.

"Ah, I remember when you two were younger. You used to visit all the time" Alexander said, enthusiastically shaking their hands

"Hey, the pleasure's all ours. We're just glad that we could come back after all this time"

The butler then arrived at Skyla, bowing before her.

"Greetings, miss Skyla. Now, unless my hearing is incorrect, you must be the girl who Master Ryan was lucky enough to hook up with".

"Pretty much, yeah".

The butler looked over at Ryan.

"He has a very good taste in women, it appears".

This earned a laugh from Skyla.

"Wow. A butler with a sense of humor. Thank you".

"The pleasure's all mine, Miss Skyla. It's nice to finally be able to properly meet you face to face".

"You say that like we've met before"

"Oh, we have. Earlier today, when you and your friends came rushing through the kitchen after leaping over the back fence."

"Oh. Good point".

Alexander then noticed Blastoise standing nearby.

All sorts of memories came flooding back to him as he stared at the Shellfish Pokemon.

"Is this...?"

"Yep. That's my old Squirtle right there. All grown up".

Alexander almost seemed to tear up.

"I remember all those good times you two had together. Birthdays, holidays, everything."

He gave a soft chuckle.

"Heck, I even remember that one Christmas he got that hat and the little mittens to go with it. It was just the most precious thing. And now, here he is. All grown up."

He wiped a tear away from his cheek.

"As cliched as it sounds, it all feels like it was just yesterday".

Happy to see Alexander again, Blastoise embraced him in a tight hug.

"I think he's missed you too"

"Yes. Q-quite. Thank you" He wheezed as Blastoise released him.

He then noticed Ryan's Flygon.

"Ah yes, I saw you had this Flygon." He said in awe. "Such power. Such beauty as well. I had dreamed for years of being face to face with a Pokemon like this and now, well, here we are"

"Speaking of "here" I think it's about time Ryan went and got himself some shut eye"

"I'll have to agree with you there, dad" Ryan replied, covering his mouth as he released a yawn.

The Unova Champion turned to Jason and Selina.

"I guess this is where we part ways". Ryan said to the two. "Again".

"Guess so. It's been quite an experience, though".

"Yeah. It's not everyday you get to battle against several criminal organisations at the top of some ancient ruins alongside the world's greatest trainers".

"I hear that."

"Anyway, I guess we'd best get going." Jason said. "Our ferry back to the Johto Region leaves in a day or two, so we'd best be heading back in that direction".

"Want a lift back?" Asked Skyla.

"No, we'll be alright, thanks".

"Wait" Ryan said to the two. "Before you go, there's one thing that I have to do"

Much to their surprise, Ryan then pulled the two in, embracing them in a tight hug.

"Thank you...for everything. You're the best friends a guy like me could hope to have. I literally can't thank you enough"

"Hey, that's alright, man. What kind of friends would we be if we didn't stick by you?"

The three broke the hug.

"Anyway, we'd best be going. See ya round"

"Bye everyone"

With that, the two trainers turned around and walked off towards the gate, waving to the group before slipping through the gate and disappearing off into the darkness.

This only left Skyla to say goodbye to.

"You know, when I first started off on this journey, I feared that I may never be able to love another girl again. At least, not in the same way I did Lucy". He said, turning to face Skyla. "Deep down, I feared that I would always end up being "that guy". The kind of guy who was seemingly destined to remain alone".

He then smiled.

"But then I met you. And now I'm the luckiest son of a gun to have ever lived. Thank you".

Ryan then happily pulled Skyla in and embraced her.

"So." Ryan said as they broke the hug. "Do you...oh, I dunno...wanna, you know...go out sometime?"

Skyla raised an eyebrow.

"Are you asking me out on a date, Ryan Keyes?"

"I-Well, that is if-if you want to" He replied nervously. "I-I mean, if you're busy or anything like that, that-that's okay with me, I mean you are a gym-"

Chuckling, Skyla pulled Ryan back in, kissing him on the lips.

"I'm free Saturday" She said softly to him.

"Erm, great!" Ryan replied happily, blushing. "Nimbasa City sound good to you?"

"What time?"

"H-How good does Noon sound?"

"It's a date"

"Sweet. I'll...I'll see you then".

"Don't be late" Skyla replied, winking at him. "Bye everyone"

With that, Skyla began to head for the hills, blowing Ryan a kiss as she clambered onto the back of her Swanna.

As Ryan waved goodbye, the White Bird Pokemon took off, flying itself and Skyla back to Mistralton City.

Ryan sighed happily.

"It's good. It's all good" He said to himself.

"Sorry if I'm bursting your romance bubble in any way, but you do realize she's got a couple of years on you...and a couple of inches in height" Pointed out his Father.

"I know, but I don't care" Ryan replied. "She's awesome and she's into me. What more can I say?"

"I know what I can say" Interjected his mother. "I think it's time you and your Pokemon went and got some shut-eye. It's way past your bedtime".

"Heh. Good point"

As Ryan withdrew Flygon into its ball, he, Blastoise, Alexander and his parents all walked up the driveway towards the house.

"Ah, I see you were able to put the doors back up" Noted Ryan as they walked in through the front entrance.

"Yes, but it took quite a struggle. Your Blastoise is stronger than it appears. Not that that's saying much, mind you".

The five soon found themselves standing in the auditorium.

"Anyway, you're right. It's about time we went and got some sleep".

"Before you go up, Ryan, we can't thank you enough for forgiving us, especially after everything that's happened".

"That's alright. "Forgive and forget". That what people say. Although if I must be brutally honest, I did have a moment on the flight back where I was asking myself "are they telling the truth or are they leading me into a trap?"."

"I had a feeling you'd think that. Again, sorry"

"Ah, don't worry about it. There was no trap waiting for us when we touched down, so it's all good."

"That's good to hear"

Ryan and his parents then happily embraced each other one more time.

"I love you guys. Besides, like it or not, we're family and a good family needs to stay strong"

"Too right"

"Just promise me one thing"

"What's that?"

"If you ever make a wrong decision again, please make sure it's nowhere near as wrong as this whole Lucy thing".

"Don't worry. We certainly wouldn't want to repeat this whole charade in a hurry".

With that, Ryan and Blastoise began to head up the stairs towards their bedroom.

"Night mum! Night dad! Night Alexander!

"Goodnight, Ryan!"

As the dynamic duo reached the top of the stairs, Ryan bounded up to his bedroom door and threw the door open, happily bounding in.

Taking a quick moment to look around, Ryan noticed that everything looked pretty much like it had since he had left. His computer was still in the exact same place. His posters were still in the exact same condition, the books on his shelves looked unmoved.

He then went and checked his desk drawers.

Not a single item was out of place.

Ryan's re-adjustment to his old bedroom was interrupted by the sound of something bumping against the door frame.

Looking over, he found Blastoise desperately trying to squeeze through the door, but to no avail, now being too big to fit through the door frame.

The poor Shellfish Pokemon had a sad look in it's eyes.

Ryan sighed.

"I know, buddy. I know."

He patted Blastoise's shell.

"Don't worry. You'll get used to it. You can sleep on the Living Room carpet for now"

Worry now appeared in the eyes of his best friend.

"Don't worry, I'll still be here when you wake up tomorrow morning. Times have changed. We're safe now. Nothing's going to change that"

The look of worry changed to a look of reluctant acceptance.

"There you go, big guy. Now come on. Let's get you settled down"

The pair headed back downstairs and into the living room, where they was just enough room for Blastoise to lie down on the carpet.

"Goodnight, Blastoise" Ryan said to him, giving him a little kiss on the top of his head and patting his shell.

"Blaaaaast" Blastoise replied.

With that, Blastoise disappeared into his shell, leaving Ryan's hat behind.

Retrieving his hat, Ryan headed back upstairs, dumping his bag and his jacket at the foot of his bed before entering his en-suite bathroom.

As he pulled off his shirt, Ryan took a minute to admire the champion's crown in the mirror. To him, he wore the crown well. He didn't wear it like a champion, he wore it like a king.

Before long, Ryan was out of his regular clothes and into his pyjamas, his crown and his belt stored away in one of his desk drawers, along with the rest of his poke balls.

"I'll sort out the rest of my stuff tomorrow" he said to himself, as he settled down in his own bed once again.

He let out one last happy sigh as he shut his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

"It's good to be back"

* * *

Unfortunately for Ryan, he didn't end up having the kind of rest he had hoped for, waking up halfway through the night.

"Urgh...bollocks" Ryan muttered.

He looked over at the clock on the wall.

Apparently, it was just coming up to 3 o' clock.

"Damn. Well, that's screwed up my sleep patterns".

As he settled back down into bed, Ryan tried as hard as possible to fall asleep again, but to no avail.

"How am I not sleepy?" He thought to himself. "Everything that's happened over the past 24 hours should have worn me out!"

He then noticed something. His throat felt bone dry.

"Maybe that's it"

He got out of bed before pulling on his slippers and tip-toeing out of his bedroom, down the stairs and into the kitchen, trying as hard as possible not to wake anybody. Once in the kitchen, he found himself a glass, poured himself some water and promptly swallowed it all in one swig.

"Ah. Much better"

He then left the kitchen and began to head back to his room. However, just as he placed his foot on the bottom stair, he heard a sound that put him on edge.

Heavy footsteps coming from the living room. Where Blastoise was sleeping.

He knew he would have to check it out, tentatively creeping over to the doors, opening them slightly and peering in through the crack.

A sense of relief washed over him when he found that the footsteps were just Blastoise wandering over to have a look out the window.

"Couldn't sleep either, huh?"

Blastoise looked over when he heard the sound of his trainer and friend, nodding sleepily

"That's what I thought"

Ryan decided to hang around with his buddy for a minute.

"Must be odd for you being back at home again after all this time".

Blastoise nodded again.

"I can tell that you're slightly worried about mum and dad as well. Don't worry about them. They know they made a mistake. I can understand if you still feel a bit doubtful, though. Honestly, I felt a bit like that on the way back from the League. As we headed back here, I couldn't help but think "maybe I've trusted these guys too much. Maybe they're leading me into a trap". But you know what, I'm happy to be wrong".

Blastoise smiled.

"Speaking of the league, there's something I should've done the very moment we got out of there."

Much to the surprise of the Shellfish Pokemon, Ryan threw his arms around his best friend, embracing him.

"Thank you. Thank you for everything. For all the good times we've had together, for being there with me every step of the way and for not giving up on me, even when I started to feel like it. And it's not just you I need to thank. It's you, Lucario, Pachirisu, Arcanine, Flygon, Sawsbuck, Grumpig, Absol and even Dialga. Heck, I'd probably be lost without you guys. Thank you"

Touched by what his trainer had said, Blastoise wrapped his arms around Ryan and hugged him tightly.

"Hrrk! Erm, that-that's okay...buddy" he wheezed "Need...air!"

Blastoise quickly released him.

"Th-thanks"

Ryan quickly straightened up.

"So yeah, you doing good now?"

Blastoise nodded.

"That's good. Just remember: I've got you, you've got me and I'm sure as hell that there will be nothing to change that, crazy fiances or otherwise."

The two friends bumped fists.

"Come on then, you" Ryan said, patting his shell. "Get some sleep. You've earned it".


	20. Reaching for the Heavens

_5 Months later_

The sun may have been as clear as day, but that made no difference to the bitterly cold winter weather, especially in Mistralton City.

However, the lack of warm weather didn't stop people from being out and about, meeting people and having a good time.

However, in one house, not too far away from all the bustle, a young couple were sleeping in late.

Whilst some people might have argued that they had work to do, the two had been through quite a lot together, so deserved their time off.

Besides, this wasn't just any couple.

This was possibly one of the most well known celebrity couples in the entire world.

Ryan, the Unova League Champion, and Skyla, the Mistralton City gym leader.

Ever since Ryan had ended his journey as the League Champion, every single media outlet was interested on getting the young trainer's life story.

Between then and now, he'd made countless appearances on TV chat shows and radio shows, had a book written about him and had even been approached to have a full length motion picture made about his story (which he accepted, but only if he could play himself).

However, the countless public appearances and watchful eye of the tabloids had worn Ryan down immensely.

For a short while, he'd even had journalists and photographers camping outside his house.

Thankfully for him, however, his beloved had offered him sanctity from the madness.

Whilst most people were up and about by this time of the day, Ryan and Skyla were still sleeping.

Eventually, though, the two stirred.

"Good morning, champ" Skyla said softly to Ryan, planting a kiss on his forehead. "Have a good sleep?"

"Fine thanks, my dear" Ryan replied. "You know, I had this dream..."

"Oh really. Was it the one where you became the champion again?"

"Yes."

"You've been dreaming like that for ages".

"Do you blame me?"

"Not even slightly. So, what are planning on doing today?"

"I don't know. Maybe just stay here and spend some quality time with my beloved".

"You know, I couldn't have it any other way".

The two happily began to kiss once more.

Then, much to Ryan's surprise, Skyla then shuffled a hand down his back and onto his buttocks.

His face went bright red.

"Two can play at that game" Ryan thought deviously.

Ryan quickly shuffled a hand down onto Skyla's buttocks.

They couldn't have been happier at this moment in time. The two of them spending quality time together. Ryan couldn't think of anything else, than being here with his...

Ryan's Xtransciever went off.

He sighed as he broke the intimate kiss with Skyla.

"Damn it" he muttered, reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling his Xtransciever out before answering it.

"Hello?"

"Ryan! How's it going?"

It was Brendan.

"Oh hey, Brendan" Ryan replied. "I'm fine thanks, but…couldn't you have called a bit later? Skyla and I were having quality time together."

"Call later? Dude, its 12:30 in the afternoon"

"Oh. Right. Anyway, what's up?"

"Well, there should be a special e-mail in your inbox. Get back to me once you've seen it. Laters!"

"Why didn't he tell me what was in it?" Ryan asked himself as Brendan hung up.

Quickly, he logged onto the internet via his Xtransciever and accessed his inbox.

He screamed with delight as he saw the first message.

"What? What is it?" Skyla asked.

Ryan showed her the message

It read:

_Dear Mr Keyes,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been invited to battle in the upcoming World Champions Tournament at the World Tournament Stadium outside Driftveil City. In order to participate, contestants are required to enter a team of six pokemon which they used to battle their respective leagues, as this will be the first year that the tournament has experimented with Triple Battles. There are only eight places, so make sure you reply quick. The tournament starts in three months time._

Skyla immediately knew what Ryan was planning on doing.

"You're entering, aren't you?"

"Yes and I can't believe it!" Ryan said happily as the two embraced.

Ryan eventually calmed down.

"Now then. Where were we?" He asked. "Oh. I remember".

The two happily continued their intimate moment.

* * *

_Three months later._

Asides from spending time with Skyla, Ryan and his team had been on a non stop course of hard training in preparation for the tournament.

Every chance his team got, they were constantly trying to improve their competitive edge, even taking some time to try and teach themselves a few new tricks.

For Ryan, the day wouldn't come around soon enough.

He would finally be able to test his mettle against some of the finest trainers in the world.

As Ryan and Skyla took off on the back of Flygon, the young trainer couldn't help but start to feel nervous.

Admittedly, whilst battling Nate had been tough, it was made easier because he was the only one in the league at the time who had accomplished what he had.

Coming into the Champions Tournament, however, meant that he would come up against multiple trainers who had accomplished feats that equalled or, in some cases, battered what he had accomplished.

"Well, there's no use getting worried about it" he thought to himself. "I'll just give it my all".

Very soon, the bright lights from the World Tournament stadium came into view.

Every media outlet in the world had assembled to see how the battle of the year would turn out.

As Ryan and Skyla touched down outside the stadium, they were on the two, taking pictures and filming the moment as they waved to the cameras.

Eventually squeezing through and into the auditorium, Ryan was approached by a burly, yet surprisingly camp tournament representative.

"Ah, Ryan. Good to see you could make it. Now then, the battling will begin shortly, so if you and your girlfriend could just follow me into the VIP booth, that would be just swell"

He then dragged the young couple upstairs into the hospitality box.

There, Ryan could finally see who he would be up against.

The seven others who had entered the tournament were already there.

Brendan, Alder, Cynthia, Ethan, Blue, Red and Lucas.

"Ah, Ryan! It's good to see you could make it!" Brendan said happily to the trainer as the two shook hands. "I take it you've been training hard".

"I have indeed and I intent to be whooping your backside tonight".

"So am I. May the best man win".

Just then, the group heard voice coming from outside the room.

"What do you mean we're not allowed in?! We're his parents, for God sakes!"

Ryan, recognising the voices, flung open the door to the hospitality box.

There, being held up by a security guard, were his parents.

"Don't worry. They're with me" he said to the guard.

as the guard reluctantly stepped aside, the young trainer embraced his mother and father.

"Glad you two could make it today" Ryan said as they entered the the box.

"Same. We were just happy to see you again. How's your time with Skyla been?"

"Heaven" Ryan replied happily.

Suddenly, the door flung open.

"WE AREN'T LATE, ARE WE?!" Yelled Jason as he and Selina bolted into the room, panting heavily.

Ryan chuckled.

"You're not late. In fact, you're right on time. The tournament is about to start".

Then, right on cue, a voice rang out over the stadium's PA system.

"Hello, battle fans and welcome to the third annual World Champions Tournament! We're expecting a real humdinger of a fight tonight as eight champions from around the world compete for the ultimate prize: The Champions Tournament trophy!"

The trophy appeared on screen.

It was a fancy creation, plated entirely in Gold, Silver and Platinum, with several Rubies, Sapphires, Emeralds, Diamonds and Pearls decorating it.

"As I said, we have eight different champions here tonight!"

The faces of the eight combatants appeared on screen.

"Red, Brendan, Ethan, Alder, Cynthia, Lucas, Blue and Ryan, the newest Champion." Another voice said. "Red has been the defending tournament champion since its inception a few years ago, but tonight, will someone be able to steal his crown? There's only one way to find out! Computer, display the battles!"

The screen changed.

This time, it showed the order of which battles in the first round would be taking place.

_Brendan Vs Alder_

_Ryan Vs Cynthia_

_Ethan Vs Lucas_

_Red Vs Blue_

"Well then, let's do this!" Brendan said as he and Alder left the hospitality box and headed out onto the battlefield.

The Champions tournament was quickly underway, with the two champions fighting ferociously with one another. For a short while, it looked like Alder would pull through with his Volcarona, but any chance of his winning were swiftly crushed when Brendan unleashed his Milotic.

Brendan was the first one through to the finals.

It was then time for Ryan to start his tournament with his battle against Cynthia.

"Good luck!" His parents said to him.

"Give 'em hell!" His friends added.

Swallowing any nerves he had, Ryan and Blastoise made their way to the Atrium with Cynthia, waiting for the commentators to call them on.

As they waited, Ryan thought of something he'd always wanted to ask.

"Hey, Cynthia, I was just wondering. What is the Distortion World like?"

The former Sinnoh Champion thought about this for a moment.

"It was...weird...to say the least. It was kind of like a really strange acid trip".

Ryan understood what she was getting at.

"Alrighty then! That's one battle down, seven more to go until the next round. Ryan and Cynthia, come on out!"

The two walked onto the battlefield along with Blastoise, where they were greeted by the roaring crowds.

As they waved, they took their positions at opposite ends of the battefield.

The referee at the side of the battlefield then took his position, holding a coin.

"Cynthia, heads or tails?"

"Tails"

The referee flipped the coin.

Heads.

To Ryan, this was a good sign that his luck was in.

" **Go for it, Buddy!** " Ryan said to his friend.

As Blastoise waddled out onto the battlefield, Ryan went for two more pokeballs, whilst Cynthia went for her first three.

" **Arcanine! Flygon!** "

" **Garchomp! Spiritomb! Roserade!** "

"LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!" Declared the referee.

Immediately, Ryan was able execute a quickly formed battle plan.

" **Arcanine, go for Roserade and make sure it doesn't reach Blastoise! Flygon, focus your attacks on Garchomp and Blastoise, take down that Spiritomb!** "

Cynthia then went for her own plan.

" **Roserade, try and take down Blastoise! Garchomp, try and hit Flygon and Spiritomb...you get the idea** "

The six Pokémon obliged, charging into battle before splitting off into three simultaneous one-on-one battles.

Whilst Blastoise and Arcanine were fighting ground level battles with Spiritomb and Roserade, Flygon was busy divebombing Garchomp with a multitude of Dragon Type attacks.

Whilst both teams were fighting hard, the first KO of the battle was actually one that people had expected.

As Roserade tried to land a Leaf Storm attack against the Blastoise, it was caught off guard by Arcanine with a lightning quick Extreme Speed attack.

The Legendary Pokémon retaliated by launching a powerful Flamethrower attack, dealing a huge amount of damage to Roserade.

In fact, so much was dealt that the Roserade was easily rendered unconscious.

"Roserade is unable to battle! Arcanine wins!"

"Alright, great job Arcanine! Let's keep this momentum up!" Ryan said.

Cynthia withdrew her unconscious Roserade.

"Don't worry, Roserade. You tried your best and that's all I could ask for".

She then went for her fourth pokeball.

" **Togekiss! Go!** "

Once Togekiss appeared on the field, the battle continued.

However, things weren't completely without a hitch for Ryan.

Each time Flygon tried to dive bomb Garchomp, the opposing Pokémon tried to retaliate with an attack of its own.

However, on one dive bomb, when Flygon attempted to land a Dragon Tail attack, Garchomp managed to land a powerful Outrage attack, knocking it out of the sky and rendering it unconscious.

"Flygon is unable to battle! Garchomp wins!" Declared the referee.

As the crowd cheered, Ryan withdrew his unconscious Pokémon.

"You did a good job, Flygon. Take a nice rest".

However, as Ryan was thinking about which Pokemon to send out next, he remembered which Pokemon Cynthia had left.

A Lucario and a Glaceon.

He decided on his strategy, pulling out his third pokeball.

" **Lucario! Go for it!** "

The battle continued as before, this time with Lucario taking over trying to take down Garchomp.

Ryan then had another idea.

" **You guys, I want you to focus your attacks on Garchomp!** "

His team could tell what he was planning.

As they rounded on Garchomp, the three unleashed a wild frenzy of attacks, including Heat Wave, Hydro Pump and Close Combat.

Despite the threat from the other two Pokemon, Ryan's team quickly whittled away at Garchomp's health.

Before finally, Lucario landed one final uppercut to Garchomp's jaw, rendering it unconscious.

"Garchomp is unable to battle! Lucario wins!" Declared the referee.

As Ryan thanked his Pokemon, Cynthia withdrew Garchomp.

"You did good, Garchomp. Thank you"

She then went for her fifth pokeball.

" **Lucario! Go!** "

Ryan then knew what his team had to do at this point.

" **Blastoise, go back to attacking Spiritomb! Arcanine and Lucario, go for Togekiss!** "

They obliged, going for their designated targets.

Whilst this did leave Cynthia's Lucario free to attack whichever target it felt like, Ryan's Lucario easily anticipated and countered any attack it threw.

As for Blastoise and Spiritomb, the two were engaged in a traditional battle of their own, launching and dodging each others attacks.

However, Blastoise was whittling away at Spiritomb's health faster than it was whittling away at Blastoise's health.

It seemed almost inevitable when Blastoise finally managed to land one final Hydro Pump attack, dealing more damage to Spiritomb, rendering it unconscious.

"Spiritomb is unable to battle! Blastoise wins!" Declared the referee.

Ryan thanked his friend for the great job he was doing.

Now, he was looking likely to win the battle.

Cynthia withdrew the unconscious Spiritomb.

"A fantastic performance as usual, Spiritomb. Take a rest".

She then went for her final pokeball.

" **Glaceon! Go for it!** "

As the battle resumed, Ryan knew the best thing to do at this point would be to get this battle wrapped up as quickly as possible.

" **Lucario, go for Glaceon! Arcanine, go for Cynthia's Lucario and Blastoise, try and take down Togekiss!** "

The three Pokémon then went off, back to their separate battles.

At this point, the battle was Ryan's. It was just a case of how long it would take to wrap things up.

Thankfully it wouldn't take much longer.

Each time Blastoise launched a Hydro Pump attack at Togekiss, the opposing Pokémon would just strafe out of the way before launching an Aura Sphere attack.

However, things were soon made significantly easier for the Shellfish Pokémon.

Whilst this was going on, Ryan's Lucario was trying to land hits on Glaceon, the two whittling away at each other's health.

What's more, Arcanine was also busy trying to land hits on Cynthia's Lucario, their health slowly falling.

It was only a matter of time until one of them went.

And they did very soon.

As Glaceon tried to land a Signal Beam attack, Lucario blocked it Bone Rush before striking it in the midriff with the same attack, rendering it unconscious.

"Glaceon is unable to battle! Lucario wins!" Declared the referee.

Once Cynthia had withdrawn her unconscious Pokemon, Lucario quickly moved across to begin helping out Arcanine with taking down Cynthia's Lucario.

This was done surprisingly quickly, with Arcanine scorching the Lucario with a Flamethrower attack before Lucario leapt in and launched a Close Combat beatdown, culminating in one final punch to the face, knocking the Lucario to the ground.

"Cynthia's Lucario is unable to battle! Ryan's Lucario wins again!"

As Cynthia withdrew her Lucario, the two Pokémon finally moved over to helping Blastoise take down Togekiss.

Whilst Blastoise was managing to hold its own okay, it was however, struggling to make a substantial impact against the Jubilee Pokémon.

However, this swiftly changed as it was caught off guard with an Aura Sphere attack, battered with a Hydro Pump attack and finally scorched with a Heat wave attack.

Finally, Togekiss fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Togekiss is unable to battle! Arcanine wins, which means the victor is Ryan!"

The crowd erupted into wild cheering.

This was the kind of battling they wanted to see.

"YEAH! Great job guys, we're through to the next round!" Ryan said to his team.

On the opposite side of the battlefield, Cynthia withdrew her unconscious Togekiss, gutted at her loss, yet satisfied with the adrenaline buzz the battle had given her.

"Well, Ryan, I must say whilst you were indeed good when you took on Nate, you're really good now. Great job".

"Thanks".

The two headed back into the atrium and up to the hospitality box where the others were waiting for them.

"Great job, mate!" Jason said to him. "You're through to the next round".

"I can't rest yet, though. From here, things only get harder" Ryan replied. "Good thing I love a challenge".

The third battle swiftly got underway with the teams of Ethan and Lucas fighting hard. Whilst Lucas's Torterra was able to knock out Ethan's Politoed and Ambipom, Ethan's Typhlosion was easily able to return the favour. Eventually, it was Ethan who made it through to the second round.

Then, it was time for the battle that everyone had been waiting to see: Red vs. Blue.

Now, you'd imagine that people would want to see this battle because of the rivalry the two trainers from Pallet Town shared with each other.

However, the main reason people were waiting for this battle was to see how well Red was doing.

It had never been a question of "which one will win?" It was always a question of "How easily will Red beat Blue?"

The easier Red beat Blue, the higher the chance of Red winning the entire tournament.

And in this case, Red had a very, very, very easy win against Blue.

Whilst Brendan, Ryan and Ethan had all had at least one of their Pokémon knocked out in their first battle, all of Red's Pokémon made it through.

Afterwards, there was a short break before the second round got underway, allowing the combatants to heal their Pokémon.

The pecking order for the rest of the battles looked like this:

_Brendan vs. Ryan_

_Ethan vs. Red_

"You're doing well so far" Ryan father said to him. "Just two battles left to win and you'll win the tournament".

"That is, if I defeat Brendan" Ryan replied.

"Hey, you defeated Cynthia easily enough" His mother added.

"Yes, but that was down to the lucky fact that I had Pokémon that could easily take down most of hers."

Well, just try your best. Even if you don't win, you'll still be the best to us".

"Great. Thanks". Ryan said, hugging his parents.

"Alright then, battle fans, we've now halved our combatants down from eight to four. Now though, we must half it down again. Let's get the semi-finals underway".

Ryan, Blastoise and Brendan then headed down to the atrium.

"Well, this surreal" Brendan said. "I'm now about to take on the kid May and I found half unconscious outside Floccesy Town in the World Champions Tournament".

"That's life for you" Ryan replied. "One day, you're running for your life and the next, you're a champion"

The two shared a laugh as they headed out into the main stadium, waving to the roaring crowd.

Brendan took position at his end of the battlefield as Ryan and Blastoise took position at the other end.

The referee then took his position at the side of the battlefield, producing a coin.

"Ryan, heads or tails?"

"Heads".

The referee flipped the coin.

Tails.

"Brendan gets the first attack!"

"No matter" Ryan thought to himself. "We can still win this battle"

"Ready Ryan?" Brendan called out to him.

"Born ready"

"LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!" Declared the referee.

The two then went for their Pokémon.

" **Arcanine! Flygon!** "

" **Sceptile! Swellow! Milotic!** "

Finally, Blastoise waddled onto the battlefield.

Then, Brendan and his team leapt into action.

" **Sceptile, Leaf Blade! Swellow, use Aerial Ace and Milotic, use Hydro Pump!** "

Whilst Swellow and Flygon flew overhead in an Aerial dogfight, Arcanine and Blastoise were engaged in a ferocious battle against Sceptile and Milotic.

At this point in the battle, things were indeed looking in Ryan's favour, as Arcanine and Flygon both had the edge of the two Pokémon they were fighting.

Then, inevitably, the first KO came round.

As Swellow and Flygon were locked in Aerial combat, they were both launching attacks at each other, slowly whittling away their health.

But then, Swellow quickly flew up to the roof of the stadium, it quickly turned around before it began homing in on Flygon with an Air Slash attack.

The two Pokémon were heading on a collision course.

However, just at the last moment, Flygon span round to point its tail at Swellow, ready to intercept the oncoming attack with a Dragon Tail attack.

Finally, the two struck each other, causing a small explosion in the air.

As the smoke began to clear, everyone looked on to see which of the two Pokémon would be flying out.

Then, finally, they heard a familiar call.

Out of the thick cloud of smoke came Swellow.

But the Swallow Pokémon was falling to the ground.

However, as Swellow fell, Blastoise sensed a golden opportinuty for a "double whammy".

After stepping back a couple, the Shellfish Pokémon then launched a quick yet powerful jet of water at the falling Pokémon, changing the course of its fall.

Straight towards Milotic.

Whilst it did try its best to avoid it's falling ally, it wasn't quick enough.

_WHAM!_

As Swellow eventually struck Milotic, a giant cloud of dust was kicked up.

Eventually, it began to settle, everyone could see the outcome.

Swellow and Milotic were both lying on the ground, unconscious.

"Swellow and Milotic are unable to battle! Flygon and Blastoise win!" Declared the referee.

"WOW!" One of the commentators yelled out as the crowd began cheering. "WHAT A SHOT! I don't think anyone saw that coming!"

Ryan happily thanked his friends for effortlessly pulling that "double whammy" off.

As for Brendan, he was just shocked that already one third of his team had been knocked out.

However, as he withdrew his two unconscious Pokémon, he found himself actually being quite impressed.

"Don't worry, you two. You did good" Brendan said to the two.

He then produced two more pokeballs.

" **Mightyena! Breloom!** "

Ryan decided to continue with how they were going originally.

This time, however, he needed to keep in mind that there were now two Grass Type Pokémon fighting against his team, putting Blastoise at a slightly further disadvantage.

That being said, though, this didn't stop Blastoise from engaging Mightyena in combat, with Arcanine and Flygon taking on Sceptile and Breloom.

Whilst victory did look more certain for Ryan, he still decided to keep his wits about him.

However, as the battle wore on, things became increasingly worrying with Sceptile. It was managing to hold its own against Arcanine, dodging all of its fire based attacks.

To make matters worse, Sceptile managed to find a gap in the combat to land a Leaf Blade attack, severely weakening Blastoise.

If he took another one like that, he would be rendered unconscious.

Suddenly, however, things instantly began to look better for him.

As this was going on, Flygon was busy dive bombing Breloom, with the two trading attacks and dealing each other damage.

However, on one dive bomb, Breloom leapt up, ready to land a DynamicPunch attack.

However, Flygon, anticipating this, began dive bombing Breloom before swinging its tail around.

However, instead of knocking it towards the ground, it knocked it into the sky, where it would be more vulnerable.

As Breloom went sailing high into the air, Flygon flew to the top of the stadium.

Ryan could see what Flygon was planning.

" **Flygon! Hyper Beam!** "

The Mystic Pokémon then unleashed a powerful beam of energy, striking Breloom and dealing a huge amount of damage.

It then sent the Mushroom Pokémon crashing into the ground, unconscious.

"Breloom is unable to battle! Flygon wins again!" Declared the referee.

Ryan felt more at ease as he thanked Flygon.

That act on Flygon's behalf had made things easier for his other Pokémon, particularly Blastoise.

Brendan then withdrew Breloom.

"Don't worry Breloom. At least we tried".

He then went for his final pokeball.

" **Go! Camerupt!** "

As the battle resumed, Ryan quickly formulated a plan that he hoped would win him and his team the battle.

" **Blastoise, you go for Camerupt! Arcanine, continue with Sceptile and Flygon, go for Mightyena!** "

The three Pokémon obliged, heading off to take on their separate opponents.

Admittedly, there was still the threat of Sceptile breaking away from Arcanine and taking down Blastoise, but that, thankfully for Ryan and his team, was much lesser than before.

People had probably seen one sided battles before, but the duel between Blastoise and Camerupt was a whole new level of one-sidedness.

As their duel began, Blastoise was immediately on the attack, launching a Hydro Pump attack towards the Eruption Pokémon.

Due to Camerupt being both a Fire and Ground Type Pokémon, the damage received from the Hydro Pump attack was ridiculous.

However, it still managed to hold on.

The same couldn't be said after the second hit, as it fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Camerupt is unable to battle! Blastoise wins!" Declared the referee.

Once Camerupt was withdrawn, Blastoise quickly moved across to help out Flygon with dive bombing Mightyena.

The main problem that Flygon was having was that Mightyena was moving too fast for the Mystic Pokémon to land a hit.

This, however, was quickly solved when Blastoise waddled over grabbing hold of Mightyena before hurling it into the air.

This was followed up by Flygon striking the opposing Pokémon with a Dragon Claw attack before grabbing hold of it, throwing it to the ground and launching another Hyper Beam attack, dealing enough damage to render it unconscious.

"Mightyena is unable to battle! Flygon wins!" Declared the referee.

Then, finally, the two Pokémon then rounded on Sceptile, alongside Arcanine.

Brendan couldn't believe what was happening.

This was the first time he had ever known what it was like to be on the receiving end of a "wipefest".

But what really stood out was the fact that it was coming from the very same trainer that he and May had rescued from Sewaddle almost nine months.

As for Sceptile, it tried valiantly to pull through, but ultimately, it would prove futile as it was slammed by a Dragon Tail attack and scorched by a Heat Wave attack before getting blasted by a Hydro Pump attack.

Finally, Sceptile fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Sceptile is unable to battle! Blastoise wins, which means the victor is Ryan!" Yelled the referee.

The crowd began cheering wildly at the battle they'd just witnessed.

"And a spectacular performance at the hands of Ryan and his team allow them to make their way into the final round!" one of the commentators said. "All that is left now is to see who will join them".

As Ryan thanked his team, Brendan withdrew his unconscious Sceptile.

"You fought as best you could. Thank you".

He then walked across to stand before Ryan.

A smile then appeared on his face as they shook hands.

"Well, you've certainly come a long way since we first met and for that, I congratulate you".

"Sweet. Thanks, Brendan".

The two trainers and Blastoise then headed back inside to heal up their Pokémon and rejoin their friends.

Finally, the penultimate battle got underway, with the teams of Ethan and Red going head to head against each other.

As they battled on, Ryan was waiting to see who he'd be facing in the finals.

He knew he'd have a better chance of winning if he took on Ethan, but something in the back of his mind was hoping to be taking on Red in the final.

The two teams were slowly whittling away at each other.

However, Red always had the advantage.

Eventually, as the battle drew to a close, Ethan was left with just one Pokémon: Typhlosion.

Red, however, was left with four: Pikachu, Snorlax, Lapras and Blastoise.

Ethan knew that he was going to lose, but carried on.

" **It's now or never, Typhlosion! Use Inferno!** "

The Typhlosion obliged, launching a large pillar of flame towards the three opposing Pokémon.

However, Pikachu then stepped up before charging towards Typhlosion.

As it charged, its body became surrounded by electricity.

Volt Tackle.

Pikachu then neatly dodged out of the way of the attack before striking Typhlosion, sending the opposing Pokémon flying backwards into a nearby wall, rendering it unconscious.

"Typhlosion is unable to battle! Pikachu wins, which means the victor is Red!"

As the crowd cheered, Ryan soon realised just what had happened.

Red had advanced to the final round.

Where he would be fighting him.

* * *

Ryan felt like he was going to vomit.

However, to him, it felt like the first time he was going to vomit out of fear alone.

He, a young trainer from Floccesy Town was about to take on Red, his idol and possibly the greatest living Pokémon Trainer in the final round of the Champions Tournament.

In the gap at the end of the Semi Finals, he was pacing around, freaking out and murmuring "Oh man, oh man, oh man. Oh man, oh man, oh man. OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN!"

"Ryan, are you alright?" Asked his mother.

"I'M FREAKING OUT!"

"Wow. That's new. Ryan actually looks scared for once" Jason said as he and Selina came over.

The group tried to calm his down, but to no avail. In fact, Ryan was now beginning to nervously shake. A lot.

"What's going on?" Asked Skyla, emerging from the ladies room.

"Ryan's having a bit of a freak out"

"I know how to sort this out." Skyla said to the others as she walked up to Ryan.

Then, much to the young trainer's surprise, Skyla just grabbed him by the shoulders, spun him around and locked lips with him in a long passionate kiss.

Once they broke the kiss, Ryan had stopped freaking out. Now, he just stood there, blushing madly.

"It doesn't matter if you win, Ryan" Skyla said softly to him. "To me you will always be the best, no matter what. Got it?"

Ryan nodded.

"Well ladies and gentlemen, this is it. The moment you've all been waiting for. Eight champions became four and have now become just two: Ryan, the force from Floccesy town..."

"...and Red, the pride of Pallet Town"

"These two have both climbed to the top of their respective leagues, beating gym leaders, elite four members and criminal organisation on the way. These two have both been described as the best at what they do, but now it's time to find out which of these two is the best of the best. Red and Ryan, your time is now!"

"Good luck" Skyla said to her boyfriend. "Oh, and before you go..."

She pulled a wristband out of her pocket and placed it in Ryan's hand.

It was Red with a small pokeball emblazoned on it.

"A little something for Blastoise".

"Thank you" Ryan said, stealing one last kiss.

With that, Ryan swallowed his nerves as he, Blastoise, Red and his Pikachu made their way out onto the battlefield, greeted by the roaring crowd, waiting for things to get going.

The two trainers and their signature Pokémon took their places at their ends of the battlefield, with Ryan quickly slipping the wristband onto the wrist of Blastoise's right hand.

The referee then returned for the final time, producing the coin.

"Ryan, heads or tails?"

He knew there was no point asking Red because he'd probably not say anything.

"Heads" Ryan replied.

Everyone waited in anticipation to see what the result would be.

Heads.

"Ryan gets the first attack"

This eased Ryan's nerves a bit.

"Alright then, are you two ready?"

"Ready"

Red nodded.

"LET THE BATTLE BE-" Began the referee.

"HOLD ON!" Yelled one of the commentators. "IT LOOKS LIKE A SPECTATOR HAS MADE THEIR WAY ONTO THE BATTLEFIELD!"

Ryan, Blastoise, Red and Pikachu both looked over at the entrance leading into the auditorium.

All four then grimaced.

"Why?" Ryan asked himself, face-palming. "Why is she still trying? Even after my massive tirade!"

The spectator in question was a young girl with long, tangled black hair. The make up on her face was smeared and the wedding dress she was wearing was a complete mess. In fact, it was the same wedding dress she'd worn eight months ago.

It was Lucy. Now a shadow of her former self.

If this had been before he'd entered the Unova League, Ryan would've turned around and bolted as fast as he could.

But not this time. This time, things were different. Now, he was a champion, with a chance of becoming _the_ champion.

This time, his plan was simple: stand firm.

As Lucy approached, Ryan stood his ground with a steely look on his face.

Stadium security headed out to remove Lucy from the premises, but Ryan signalled for them to hold back.

He was going to finish this himself.

He stood there expecting Lucy just to try and drag him off immediately.

However, once Lucy had reached him, a smile appeared on her face.

"Hello, my love" she said in an eerily friendly way, which she hadn't used in a while.

"Hello Lucy" Ryan replied coldly. "What brings you here?"

"Why, I'm here to take you home, Ryan" she said, calmly. "Don't you remember? We're getting married".

Ryan got the distinct impression that Lucy wasn't exactly right in the head.

"Look, I'm not sure if you remember, but that was over eight months ago." Ryan said to her.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, chuckling and taking a light hold of his arm.

Ryan pulled away sharply.

"Sorry, but you're a bit too late to try and be your old self again. I'm now in a very happy relationship with Skyla. Besides, I sincerely doubt you've forgotten the massive rant I launched into back there. Do yourself a favor: Move on".

It was on these words that Lucy seemed to revert back to her old self.

She grabbed hold of Ryan's arm and gripped it tightly.

"Listen you" she rasped. "I don't know what that slut has that I don't, but I think you'll find that you have an agreement to fulfil".

"No I don't".

"Yes you do"

"No I don't!"

"YES YOU DO!"

"You know what, screw it. **Blastoise! Cool her off!** "

Blastoise happily obliged, launching a long jet of water at the girl out of one of its cannons.

Whilst it wasn't at full power (hell, a water blast at full power would've killed her), it was still enough to send her flying back a few metres.

As she picked herself up, she looked as if she'd finally snapped as she angrily stormed back over to Ryan.

"YOU...YOU PIG!" She screamed angrily.

_SLAP!_

Much to the surprise of the crowd, Lucy then delivered a hard slap to the Unova League Champion's face.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE I EVER LIKED YOU!" She continued. "I'M DONE! WE'RE DONE! I'M NEVER MARRYING THE LIKES OF YOU!"

"Well, better late than never, even if you are eight months late to get the message" Ryan replied, nursing his face, but happy that Lucy was finally ending this.

"I HATE YOU, RYAN KEYES!"

"The feeling is mutual" Ryan replied with a cheeky grin, motioning to the security guards to remove her from the battlefield.

As security began removing her from the arena she continued raging.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU AND CLONE YOU AND KILL ALL OF YOUR CLONES AND...AND CHOP THEM UP INTO LITTLE...!"

In the hospitality box, Skyla couldn't help but laugh her head off.

As for Ryan, he felt like a large weight had just been lifted off of him.

Yet at the same time, he felt like this wasn't the last he was going to see of her.

"Meh. Whatever" he said to himself.

He looked over at Red.

"Now, where were we?"

The Pride of Pallet Town gave him a thumbs up.

"LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!" Declared the referee.

Ryan then produced two pokeballs.

" **Arcanine! Flygon!** "

As the two pokemon appeared on the battlefield, Blastoise waddled out to stand alongside them.

Then, in his eerily silent fashion, Red then produced three pokeballs of his own, releasing Charizard, Venusaur and Blastoise onto the battlefield.

" **ATTACK!** " Yelled out Ryan.

As his Ryan's three Pokémon charged, Red commanded his Pokémon to attack with one swift hand movement.

The two teams then charged headlong into battle before splitting off into three separate one-on-one battles.

Arcanine decided for an easy target, launching himself straight at Venusaur.

Flygon and Charizard were locked in an aerial dogfight.

As for the two Blastoise, they were locked in mortal combat, only distinguishable from each other by the wristband on the arm of Ryan's Blastoise.

"Blastoise, Skull Bash! Flygon, Dragon Claw! Arcanine, Flamethrower!"

Red's Pokémon retaliated with Dragon Pulse, Focus Blast and Leaf Storm respectively.

As the Pokémon traded blows with each other, Ryan guessed that it wouldn't be long until the first KO of the battle occurred.

He was right.

As Venusaur launched a Sludge Bomb attack at Arcanine, the legendary Pokémon leapt high into the air before landing a powerful Heat Wave attack.

Whilst the damage dealt to Charizard and Red's Blastoise was minimal, the damage dealt to Venusaur by the attack was considerably greater.

In fact, once the attack had finished, Venusaur was lying upside down, unconscious.

"Venusaur is unable to battle! Arcanine wins!" Declared the referee.

"Wow! A great start of Ryan and his team!" the commentator said as the crowd cheered. "How will Red react to this?"

"YEAH! Great job, Arcanine!" Yelled out Ryan.

Red withdrew his unconscious Blastoise into its ball before producing another ball, releasing a Snorlax onto the battlefield.

Ryan knew that he had to get rid of that Snorlax as quickly as possible, as whilst it was hilariously slow, it was built like a tank and could cause some serious trouble if left unchecked.

Arcanine knew this as well, immediately leaping into action against the lumbering Snorlax.

However, very soon, Red managed to swing things in his favour once again.

As Flygon and Charizard battled through the air, Flygon tried to land one more Dragon Tail attack.

However, as Flygon went charging in, Charizard quickly dodged out of the way before suddenly launching a high velocity Dragon Pulse attack.

As it struck Flygon, the Mystic Pokémon was sent plummeting towards the ground before finally crashing to the ground.

Right onto Arcanine.

As the dust cleared, the two Pokémon were lying on the ground, unconscious.

"Flygon and Arcanine are unable to battle! Charizard wins!" Declared the referee.

"HOLY HELL! Talk about a double whammy! Now Red is in control of this battle!"

Ryan withdrew his two unconscious Pokémon.

"Don't worry, you two. You tried your hardest".

However, as he was deciding on which Pokémon to send out next, he sensed a golden opportunity.

" **Grumpig! Lucario!** "

As the Manipulate and Aura Pokémon appeared on the battlefield, the battle resumed.

Ryan then had another idea.

"Blastoise! Let Grumpig go for the other Blastoise and focus your attacks on Charizard! Lucario! Take Down that Snorlax!"

Blastoise obliged, moving away from the other Blastoise before launching a powerful Hydro Pump attack up towards Charizard.

Grumpig then picked up where Blastoise left off, launching a powerful Psyshock attack in the direction of Red's Blastoise.

As for Lucario, the Aura Pokémon charged at Snorlax before flying off into another Close Combat beatdown.

Snorlax tried to intervene, but Lucario was just too fast for it.

Then, finally, Ryan's team delivered a comeuppance.

As Blastoise continued attempting to shoot down the Charizard, the opposing Pokémon often tried to get lucky and land a Focus Blast attack.

However, on one attempt, Blastoise managed to get the better of its foe.

As Charizard launched a Focus Blast attack, Blastoise managed to halt it with a long, powerful jet of water before returning it to its sender at double the speed.

Whilst the Focus Blast did very little, other than catch Charizard off guard, the subsequent Hydro Pump attack did considerably more.

As the attack struck, Charizard was sent plummeting to the ground before crashing into the battlefield below.

Whilst it didn't catch out any of its teammates, it was at least rendered unconscious itself.

"Charizard is unable to battle! Blastoise wins!" Declared the referee.

"Great job, buddy! We're level with Red again!" Ryan said to his friend.

And they weren't done yet.

As Snorlax tried to annihilate Lucario with a Body Slam attack, the aura Pokémon swiftly dodged out of the way before landing one powerful Aura Sphere attack to the back of its head, knocking it forwards and rendering it unconscious.

"Snorlax is unable to battle! Lucario wins!"

The crowd was going wild by this point. This was the kind of battling that they were hoping to see.

"HOT DAMN! Just as it looks like Ryan could be knocked out of the running, he and his team not only put things on an even footing, but retake control of the battle again!"

"That being said, though, Red still has two other Pokémon to send out, plus that Blastoise is hanging on well. Frankly, this could still go either way".

As Ryan thanked his Pokémon for the great job they were doing, Red withdrew his unconscious Charizard and Snorlax, silently thanking them for doing their best.

He then produced his final pokeball, releasing Lapras onto the battlefield.

He then looked over at his partner Pikachu, the two giving each other a nod before the Electric Mouse Pokémon arrived on the battlefield.

" **Lucario, go for Lapras! Grumpig, go for Pikachu!** "

The two Pokémon obliged, heading off to take on their respective opponents, leaving the two Blastoise battling with each other once again.

However, whilst Ryan had been able to put things in his favour again, Red's team soon evened things out.

As Grumpig and Pikachu were battling, the two were slowly whittling away at each other's health with various psychic and electric based attacks.

At the same time, Grumpig needed to make sure that it didn't make physical contact with Pikachu, as it carried the Static ability, which would lead to its paralysis.

However, Pikachu then thought of a plan.

It was risky, but it was worth a shot.

The Mouse Pokémon began charging towards Grumpig as it began to surround itself with electricity.

Realising what was happening, Grumpig tried to land a Psyshock attack.

However, it was moving too fast for that to happen.

Eventually reaching its target, Pikachu collided with Grumpig, dealing a huge amount of damage.

Whilst it did inflict recoil damage on itself, Pikachu was still able to swing its tail around to land an Iron Tail attack, causing even more damage.

Even though a huge amount of recoil damage had been received, Pikachu was still up and battle ready.

The same, however, could not be said for the now unconscious Grumpig.

"Grumpig is unable to battle! Pikachu wins!" Declared the referee.

Ryan withdrew Grumpig.

"Thanks for everything, Grumpig. Take a nice rest".

He then pulled out his final pokeball.

" **Go! Absol!** "

Absol then quickly set to work picking up where Grumpig had left off.

However, even though the two sides were now on even terms again, Ryan's team soon swung things back in their favour.

Whilst Blastoise and Absol were busy fighting the other Blastoise and Pikachu, Lucario and Lapras were locked in a duel of their own.

By duel, read "Lucario beating the crap out of Lapras whilst Lapras tried to take Lucario down"

If Lapras hadn't had such ridiculously high defense stats, Lucario would've finished off the opposing Pokémon quicker.

However, its health was still being rapidly worn down by a plethora of Fighting Type attacks.

Lucario then finished with one final Close Combat beatdown before leaping into the air and launching an Aura Sphere attack, finishing Lapras off.

"Lapras is unable to battle! Lucario wins!" Declared the referee.

Once Red had withdrawn his unconscious Lapras, with Ryan thanking Lucario for doing a good job, the battle was quickly resumed.

But suddenly, however, Lucario was caught off guard by another Volt Tackle attack from Pikachu.

This was swiftly followed up by multiple fast Iron Tail attacks.

Finally, Pikachu finished it off with a Brick Break attack to the face, causing Lucario even more damage.

In fact, much to the surprise of Ryan, it was enough to knock it out.

"Lucario is unable to battle! Pikachu wins again!" Declared the referee.

This now left both sides with just two Pokémon.

Ryan withdrew his unconscious Lucario.

"You were magnificent out there, my friend. Take a nice rest".

His attention quickly returned to the battle.

He knew that he needed to take down Blastoise, but Pikachu had enough power to take down both his Blastoise and Absol.

However, as he thought about what to do, Pikachu then began charging towards his Blastoise, its body surrounding with electricity.

He then realised what he and his team needed to do.

" **Blastoise, Hydro Pump! Absol, Dark Pulse!** "

The two Pokémon obliged, launching their two projectile attacks at the charging Pikachu.

Whilst Blastoise did indeed make an attempt to dodge out of the way, it wasn't quick enough to stop Pikachu from colliding with it, causing a huge amount of damage.

And yet somehow, Blastoise was still standing, albeit looking pretty worn out.

As for Pikachu, it had now been severely weakened by the recoil damage.

All that needed to happen now was for one of Ryan's Pokémon to land a well placed attack to knock it out.

Which is exactly what Absol did, launching a sudden Dark Pulse attack, sending Pikachu flying back towards Red, unconscious.

"Pikachu is unable to battle! Absol wins!"

"SWEET! Great job, you two. We're almost there!" Ryan said happily to his two remaining Pokémon.

Red gently scooped up his Pikachu, silently thanking it for the amazing effort it had put in before handing it to a security guard who took it off to get healed up.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, this is it!" One of the commentators said. "Red now has only one Pokémon left. How will he react to that?"

There wasn't any time to think about that as Ryan's Blastoise and Absol both charged at Red's Blastoise, engaging it in combat.

Whilst Ryan's Blastoise had been able to cause a small, yet significant amount of damage beforehand, the addition of Absol into the battle helped considerably as the two sides launched attacks back and forth, dealing each other damage.

Gradually, Blastoise and Absol wore away the health of their opponent.

However, this wasn't without them receiving a fair bit of damage themselves.

Then, suddenly, Red's Blastoise put things back on an even field once again.

As the two Blastoise were grappling with each other, Red's Blastoise managed to push the other one away.

Absol then began charging over to the opposing Pokémon.

However, Red's Blastoise had planned for this.

As Absol charged, a ball of blue energy appeared between the hands of the Blastoise.

It rapidly increased in size before the Shellfish Pokémon finally hurled it.

Right towards Absol.

Ryan then realized with horror what the attack was.

Focus Blast.

He and Absol were both too late to react.

As the attack struck, it hurled Absol backwards, a huge amount of damage being dealt.

Enough to render it unconscious.

"Absol is unable to battle! Red's Blastoise wins!" Declared the referee.

Ryan withdrew the unconscious Disaster Pokémon.

"You did your best, Absol. Thank you".

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, I don't think anyone expected this!" One of the commentators yelled out. "Ryan and Red are now down to their last Pokemon and they both happen to be a Blastoise. This is probably the only time a Champions Tournament battle has ever been this even. All it'll come down to now is the sheer power of the two Pokémon".

As the crowd cheered, everyone up in the hospitality box were watching nervously, waiting to see who would pull through.

Out on the battlefield, the two shellfish Pokémon were standing on opposite sides of the battlefield, staring each other down.

As they did so, the two trainers were both waiting to see which one would make the first move.

But they didn't dare make the first move themselves.

Then, finally, Ryan's Blastoise released a loud bellow.

"BLAAAAAAAAAAAST!"

"BLAAAAAAAAAAAST!" Replied Red's Blastoise.

The two then charged towards each other before engaging in hand to hand combat.

The two Pokémon had decided to settle things this way, as it was the only way that would show their true strength.

It was there and then that Ryan and Red both realised something.

They both realized how surprisingly agile a Blastoise could be.

As the two battled each other, Ryan's Blastoise landed four punches to the stomach of Red's Blastoise.

It tried to land a right hook to the face, but Red's Blastoise dodged out of the way before delivering a headbutt to the nose.

Ryan's Blastoise quickly regained its posture just in time to stop Red's Blastoise from landing a roundhouse kick, catching it and landing a punch right between the legs of the other Blastoise.

But then, as Ryan's Blastoise charged once again, Red's Blastoise managed to flip it into the air, by grabbing it by the legs and pulling, landing a roundhouse kick before it could hit the ground, launching it back a few feet as the audience gave out one collective "WOAH!"

As Ryan's Blastoise picked itself back up, it looked as if it had seen better days.

Yet it still carried on.

Red's Blastoise began charging towards its opponent.

However, at the last moment, Ryan's Blastoise dodged out of the way before sticking out a foot, tripping his opponent over.

He then reached down and grabbed the feet of his opponent before beginning to spin round, gradually gaining speed as the other Blastoise was lifted off the ground.

Then, finally, Ryan's Blastoise released his opponent, sending Red's Blastoise flying back to the other side of the battlefield before crashing to the ground.

As the Blastoise picked itself back up, it looked about as worn as its opponent.

The two Blastoise were now standing opposite each other, staring their opponent down.

They both looked as if they'd seen better days, completely covered in scratches and bruises.

The crowd silently watched on, waiting to see how everything would unfold.

Ryan didn't dare say anything, fearing that it would open up a gap for Red's Blastoise to strike.

But then, Ryan's Blastoise seemed to wobble a little bit.

Then, finally...

**WHAM!**

Ryan's Blastoise fell backwards before hitting the ground, exhausted and unconscious.

"Ryan's Blastoise is unable to battle!" Yelled out the referee "Red's Blastoise wins, which means the victor is Red!"

For a short moment, there was silence.

Then, suddenly, the whole stadium erupted into wild cheering as fireworks started going off.

"WOW! IN ALL MY YEARS AS A COMMENTATOR, I DON'T THINK I'VE EVER SEEN A FINISH LIKE THIS!" One of the commentators raved.

"Whilst Ryan was able to put Red under tremendous pressure, especially in the later part of the battle, he and his team were unable to overpower their opposition"

"I just pity whichever poor saps had money on Ryan to win."

"Well ladies and gentlemen, there you have it. This has been a Champions Tournament unlike any other. Eight of the world's finest champions came here to win and whilst Red may still be taking home the coveted Champions Tournament trophy, you'll have to admit, it went really down to the wire. Congratulations Red, YOU ARE THIS YEAR'S WORLD CHAMPIONS TOURNAMENT WINNER"

At one end of the battlefield, Red celebrated retaining his Champions Tournament title, thanking his Blastoise for the amazing job it had done.

At the other end of the battlefield, though, Ryan just stood there for a few moments, the shocked expression still on his face.

For him, this had been the first time he had ever lost.

Ever since his journey had begun, Ryan had built up this incredible win streak that no one had been able to break.

Until now, the one time where Ryan wanted to win the most.

And yet, despite everything, Ryan didn't feel bad about it.

In fact, he actually felt quite buzzed about the battle.

A small grin appeared on his face.

The two trainers thanked their Pokémon before heading out into the middle of the battlefield, where they proceeded to shake hands.

"That was an amazing battle, Red" Ryan said to him, still disbelieving that he was in this position. "But at the end of the day, you and your team were stronger than mine. Enjoy it, champ. You deserve it"

Then, much to Ryan's surprise, Red grinned again.

"Thanks...champ"

A shocked expression appeared on Ryan's face.

Did he just hear Red...speak?!

Red gave him a thumbs up.

As the shock of hearing his usually silent hero actually speak slowly faded, the smile returned, with him returning the thumbs up to Red.

"Yeah. Enjoy it, champ" Ryan said to himself as he headed over to help some of the stadium officials with moving his unconscious Blastoise to the nearest resting station.

* * *

As Ryan had expected, the news reporters and journalists were all eager to get interviews with the duo.

But the main talking point amongst the tabloids wasn't the intense battling or the fact that this could have been the first time Red had lost since his battle against Ethan at the summit of Mount Silver.

The main talking point (to them, at least) seemed to be what had happened between Ryan and Lucy.

Whilst Ryan didn't wish to keep constantly talking about it, he actually saw it coming a mile away, so just decided to get the flood of questions over and done with.

"Ryan, you and your Pokémon fought so hard out there, but in the end, you had to settle for second best. How do you feel?"

"I feel okay. I genuinely do. For sure, it's disappointing that we weren't able to come away with the win, but we at least have the satisfaction of knowing that we kept up the pressure all the way, so that's something. Besides, there are bags of time between now and next year's tournament, so we can get a lot of training in between now and then".

"Just before the battle started, you were involved in an altercation with a spectator that found their way onto the battlefield. Care to comment on this?"

Ryan sighed.

"I knew you'd bring that up. Well, I guess I'd better answer. For your information, that girl was my psychotic ex-fiancé. The story about her and I is long and convoluted, so I'm going to keep it short and simple: a while back, we met each other at a get together my family organised. Back then, of course, she wasn't that bad. In fact, she was actually quite a sweet young thing."

"Why did you and her then plan to get married?"

"Well, technically, I never planned any of it. Our parents organised it. Besides, that's what quite a few rich people with kids do anyway".

"So, what made things go sour?"

"Well, as the wedding drew closer, she gradually became more controlling, wanting me to become, as she put it "a gentleman of class". But what made it worse was that she wanted to replace Blastoise, who was a Squirtle at the time, with a Piplup. Squirtle and I had been together for too long to let this happen, so, on the eve of the wedding, we decided to run off, beginning our journey earlier than planned. Several months later, eight gym battles and one Unova League battle later, here we are".

"So what exactly happened between you and her out there"

"Well basically, she tried to act all friendly, wanting me to return to her so that we could finish our wedding. I declined, saying that I had already moved on with Skyla. Besides, before I even became Unova Champion, she had kidnapped me and tried to marry me against my will, so that pretty much destroyed any chance of me accepting. She persisted, I still said no. She then grew rowdy, Blastoise cooled her off. And then, she flipped, claiming that she hated me. Better late than never, I guess".

"Do you think that the altercation may have had something do you with you and your team not being able to win?"

"What?! No! Absolutely not! The only reason we didn't win was because Red was just simply much stronger than us and that's all I'm saying on the matter. But before I head off, I just want to say one quick thing"

He looked directly at the cameras.

"To anyone at home, if you have a significant other who wants to replace one of your Pokemon with one of their choosing, run a mile. No one should have to go through that".

With that, Ryan began to leave the stadium complex, meeting up with his friends, family and fully healed Blastoise along the way.

"Do you believe those guys?" Jason said to the others, pointing at the reporters.

"What do you expect? They're looking for personal details. That's what sells".

"Well I don't see why they're being all serious about it" Skyla remarked. "Hell, watching it from up in the hospitality box made it all seem quite funny, actually".

She put her arms around her boyfriend, nuzzling the side of his head.

"Besides, you're still a winner to me" she said softly.

"Aww. Thanks" Ryan replied, planting a kiss on his girlfriend's head.

The group then stepped out of the stadium complex, ready to head for the hills.

However, before going, Ryan caught sight of Red and his Pikafhu climbing onto the back of Red's fully healed Charizard before quickly taking to the skies, speeding off back to the Kanto Region.

As the pride of Pallet Town disappeared off into the distance, Ryan couldn't help but smile.

He now knew exactly where he was in life.

And he knew just where he wanted to be.

He made a mental note to himself.

_New objective: Beat Red_

"You know, for a while there, it looked like you were going to win" said a voice next to him.

Ryan and Skyla looked over.

It was Jason.

"Taking into account the fact that Red has been doing this longer, that's quite a feat".

"Too right, mate".

They blissfully looked up at the night sky as they walked with the rest of the group.

"You know, back when Red and I were battling, I was reminded of the strangest thing".

"What?"

"The very first battle that we ever had. Your Machop against my Squirtle in your old back garden three years ago".

Jason chuckled. "Yeah, I remember that. Back then, we were just kids with big dreams".

Ryan chuckled this time.

"We're still kids, Jason. Even after all this time, we always have been. Deep down, anyway The only difference here is that we grew up slightly".

"Yeah. True".

Just then, an idea came to him.

"Hey, you know what we should do some time?"

"What?"

"We should have a battle of our own. A one-on-one. You know, for old times sake."

Jason thought about this for a moment before eventually replying "Yeah. I'd like that. I'd like that very much. Where and when?"

"Thursday evening? Mistralton Gym?"

"Fine by me"

* * *

_Four days later_

To say that Ryan had been eagerly awaiting this would be somewhat of an understatement.

In fact, he was so eager to battle, he and Blastoise had spent most of the day making final preparations.

Whilst he had been unsure about beating Red back at the tournament, he knew he could beat Jason. Hell, he had done it the last time they had battled.

But that had been three years ago.

The two had gotten significantly more powerful since they had last battled, as had their Pokémon.

But Ryan still felt somewhat confident.

He was the Unova League Champion.

As the evening eventually drew in, Ryan found himself standing at one end of the Mistralton Gym's battlefield with Blastoise by his side, waiting for the hangar doors to open and Jason to walk through.

Just then, however, a familiar feeling came back to the trainer.

The feeling like he needed to pee.

"I'll be back in a minute, mate" he said to Blastoise as he quickly scuttled off to the nearest toilet to take care of business.

A minute later, he headed back out onto the battlefield.

He then received the surprise of his life.

Jason was already standing at the opposite end of the battlefield, with Selina alongside him.

"Ah, there you are. Good to see you again" Ryan said, coming over to them and shaking their hands.

"Likewise." Selina replied.

She looked around.

"No Skyla?"

"No, not this time. She's busy delivering packages to the Sinnoh Region"

He looked over at Jason.

"Now then, I guess you're probably eager to get the battle underway"

"Pretty much, yeah"

"But before we do so, a reminder of the rules. Remember, this will be a traditional one-on-one battle. My Blastoise against one Pokémon of your choosing. The battle will be over when only on Pokémon is left standing"

"Got it"

They looked over at Selina.

"Want to be the referee?"

"Might as well"

"Alrighty then. Let's do this"

The two trainers took their places as opposite ends of the battlefield, with Selina standing at one side.

Selina then produced a coin.

"Jason, heads or tails?"

"Tails"

Selina promptly flipped the coin before catching it, opening her hand to look to the visible side.

"Heads. Ryan gets the first attack".

Grinning, Ryan then looked over at Blastoise.

"Go for it, my friend"

As Blastoise waddled out onto the battlefield, Jason produced his pokeball.

"Ready?"

"Always"

"Alright then. **Machamp! Go!** "

Much to Ryan's surprise, Jason released his now fully evolved Machamp.

"Huh. That's new"

Ryan refocused himself.

"Let the battle begin!" Selina called out.

" **Blastoise! Hydro Pump!** "

Blastoise then proceeded to launch two long jets of water at the defending Pokémon.

However, Jason had anticipated this.

" **Machamp! Use Bulk Up!** "

Just before the attack hit, a crimson aura surrounded Machamp.

As it flexed, its muscles thickened.

Then, Machamp crossed its four arms in front of its face, shielding itself from the attack.

As it struck, the force of the attack, caused Machamp to be pushed back.

However, this only seemed to inflict a small amount of damage.

Jason then saw his chance and took it.

" **Use DynamicPunch!** "

Machamp complied, rushing towards its target, one of its fists surrounded in a light blue aura.

Ryan then saw an opportunity to attack.

" **Skull Bash!** "

As Machamp closed in, Blastoise tucked in its head, read to attack.

Then, finally, Blastoise launched the attack, launching itself head first into Machamp's face, causing more damage.

But whilst this did cause significant damage, this failed to catch Machamp and Jason off guard, much to his disappointment.

However, before Blastoise could launch another Hydro Pump attack, Machamp retaliated with a Cross Chop attack to Blastoise's head, stunning it and causing more damage.

" **Now use Seismic Toss!** "

Machamp then grabbed hold of the opposing Pokémon before leaping high into the air.

Ryan knew that there was no way to stop the attack, but he could at least try to reduce the amount of damage caused.

" **Quick! Use Iron Defense!** "

Blastoise reacted to this, tucking in its head and limbs just before impacting with the ground, almost causing the earth to shake.

As Machamp eventually released Blastoise, victory looked considerably less certain for Ryan.

In fact, judging from the amount of damage the two Pokémon had inflicted on each other, it looked like Machamp had a chance of bringing the win home.

"Either we're having an off day" Ryan thought to himself "or they've been training a lot longer than we have"

However, as Ryan thought about this, Jason decided to try and wrap this up.

" **Finish this up with DynamicPunch!** "

Machamp then proceeded to charge towards the opposing Pokémon, another fist surrounded in a light blue aura.

Ryan just decided to go all out to try and win the match.

" **Blastoise! Use Hydro Pump!** " **  
**

As Machamp charged, Blastoise unleashed two long jets at its opponent, causing more damage.

However, this did very little to slow Machamp down.

" **Quick! Dodge it!** "

Then, just as Machamp was about to land the attack, Blastoise stopped the jets before ducking out of the way.

But Machamp had anticipated this, quickly turning the DynamicPunch attack into a Cross Chop attack, bringing down directly on Blastoise's head, stunning it.

A third hand then landed a sudden DynamicPunch attack, causing more damage and sending Blastoise flying backwards before crashing to the ground.

As the dust settled, Blastoise wasn't moving.

Unconscious.

"Blastoise is unable to battle!" Declared Selina. "Machamp wins, which means the victory goes to Jason!"

"YEAH! THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, MACHAMP! GREAT JOB!" Jason yelled happily as he and his Pokémon embraced happily.

As for Ryan, he just stood on the other side of the battlefield, completely gobsmacked at what had just happened.

Three years ago, the two had had their first battle, with Ryan winning.

Now though, even after three years and Ryan becoming the Unova League Champion, Jason had come back and won their second battle together.

He couldn't believe what had just happened.

But slowly, the expression of shock on his face changed to an expression of understanding.

He knew just how Jason had been able to pull that off.

He went over and knelt down next to Blastoise, patting it on the head.

"Don't worry, Blastoise. You tried you're hardest and that' all i could ever ask of you"

He then went over to Jason as Machamp was releasing him from their embrace.

"I think I can guess just how you were able to pull that off, Jason" he said to him. "You've been doing considerably more training than we have over the last eight months".

"In a way, yeah. Hell, machamp and I have been training non-stop ever since you became the League Champion, just waiting for a moment like this".

"That explains why you accepted my offer to battle back at the tournament".

"Well, hey. You did offer".

"You know, there's something I've never fully understood about you, Jason. You're a good trainer. Hell, you're a brilliant trainer. You know just where you can go wrong and correct that as effectively as possible. Why have you never gone to challenge a league?"

Jason chuckled.

"That's the thing, mate. I've never really enjoyed the attention, much. The amount of exposure we got at the Driftveil Tournament is a comfortable limit for me".

"Ah".

"So, knowing you, you won't want to hang on this defeat for long"

"Oh, certainly not. In fact, I have now made it my goal to better myself so that I can become the best. My goal of beating Red may just have to wait until our next battle. Perhaps then, things may be a bit different".

"I eagerly await our next meeting, then"

The two shook hands.

"Great battling, my friend"

"Likewise"

All three looked over at Ryan's unconscious Blastoise.

"Need a hand getting him to the Pokémon centre?" asked Selina

"That would be good, thanks"

With that, the three trainers and Machamp proceeded to carry the Blastoise all the way to the nearby Pokémon centrer


	21. How to Begins Again

_Two years after Ryan became Unova League Champion_

Despite being quite a densely populated area, Castelia City always seemed quite quiet at night. For a city, it seemed to have very little nightlife. Of course, there were things to do and places to see at this time, but the loudest activities on offer involved going to a bar and listening to a band. Most of these bars were often soundproofed to all hell, as well, thus leaving the gentle ambience of an almost sleeping city to be heard.

The ambiance was eventually broken, however, but the sound of beating wings. Anyone on the ground below who happened to look up at this particular moment would have noticed a lone Flygon hovering around a block of apartments, seemingly intent on landing.

What they probably would have failed to notice were two beings sat on the back of the Mystic Pokemon.

The first was Ryan Keyes, the reigning Unova League Champion. The other was his Blastoise, the one he still considered a best friend after all this time.

The champion climbed off the back of Flygon and dropped down, landing on the balcony below. This was followed up by a loud thud as Blastoise did the same.

Withdrawing Flygon into its ball, Ryan produced a key from his trouser pocket, inserting it into the glass door and unlocking it.

Pushing the door open and switching on the lights revealed a luxurious penthouse apartment, complete with spotless ceramic wood flooring, art-deco styled furniture and a massive plasma screen TV effectively filling up an entire wall.

The best part? It was Ryan's. All of it was Ryan's.

Whilst seeking sanctuary from the paparazzi, Ryan had been able to fork out and purchase it for himself and his team. Then, once the hype had died down, Ryan was able to begin moving in. He didn't need to worry about bugging his mum and dad for money now, him being the champ and all.

As Ryan and Blastoise tiredly shuffled across the apartment and into the massive bedroom, the champ pulled off his jacket and dropped it on a nearby chair, revealing a custom-made Unova League Championship Title Belt. He had gotten it as a joint present from Jason and Selina, who felt as if he needed a proper way of showing that he was the champion, as the Champions crown had to be stored at the actual Unova League itself.

It was a gorgeous title belt. Honestly, if Ryan was forced to choose between the crown and the belt, he would choose the belt in a heartbeat. The crown was nice and all, but the feeling of a title belt slung over his shoulder just made him feel that little bit more powerful.

Placing his title belt on his bedside cabinet, Ryan changed into his pyjamas and climbed into bed, with Blastoise sleeping on a soft carpet nearby.

Ryan didn't fall asleep at first. He just lay there, staring up at the ceiling. As he lay there, he looked back on the past two years of his life. Running away from home, meeting Skyla, becoming champion and everything else past that. Before, he was just a rich kid. Now, he wasn't just a champion. He was a megastar, having fought and won matches all over his native region. Not only that, he had begun to forge his legacy worldwide as well through TV appearances, charity work, an autobiography and even a handful of starring roles in major motion pictures.

As of now, he was more famous and more beloved than he ever thought he could become.

So why on Earth was he so unhappy?

He struggled to comprehend it. There was no way he should have been this unhappy. He had pretty much climbed the mountain. He had proven the naysayers wrong. He had accomplished his dream and become Unova League Champion. Not the mention the fact that he had the best girlfriend a guy like him could ask for. How could he be so unhappy at this time?

Whilst things may have seemed fine on the surface, there were a handful of issues that were bothering him. Chief among which was just how much being the champion ate into his personal time. Initially, this wasn't so much of an issue. However, as Ryan's cloud grew and grew, he was asked to attend more and more events, filling up even more of his time. Some of these events he enjoyed, such as charity drives, which were always fun. Some of these, however, were less enjoyable, like whenever he was asked to endorse a product that he either didn't care for or just flat out didn't like. One time, he endorsed the range of X Battle Items and as a gift, was given one of each different battle item to use. Not only was he not given instructions on how to use them, even when he did figure out how to use them, the difference made to his Pokemon was minimal, so he just avoided using them altogether.

Ryan knew he could easily just turn down the endorsements. But just thinking about it made a knot in Ryan's stomach. He feared that if he turned them down, they would eventually forget all about him. He kept up with the all the deals and the dates just to keep his momentum rolling, even at the cost of time with not just his friends and family, but with his girlfriend as well.

On the flip side, the constant attention was also a major problem as well. Of course, it wasn't all bad. Meeting fans at events and conventions always made him feel good, as did the knowledge that people actually went out to watch him battle. Heck, even just having a fan come up to him completely out of nowhere and politely asking for a picture made him feel good.

All of that was alright. It was the attention of the tabloids that he didn't like. For a while now, it had been seemingly constant, with reporters and photographers hounding him at press conferences, events and every once and a while, when he just happened to be out and about. It was like getting hounded by pack animals.

Then there was his movie career. As much as he enjoyed starring in movies, his silver screen career hadn't been as bountiful as he had hoped. It started off well, with his feature film debut coming in an adaption of his autobiography, with Ryan playing himself (obviously). The film had opened to mostly positive reviews from critics and a massive box office windfall. From there, Ryan starred in a handful of action films and comedies, all seemingly receiving mixed reviews, but still making plenty of money.

But then the Brycen Man Reboot happened.

It had looked promising enough. When Ryan was first contacted with the possibility of taking on the role of the Lucario Kid, he had been told that a lot of people who had worked on the original saga would be returning. They had even been able to get Brycen to reprise his role as the titular character. Ryan had happily accepted, especially when the executives allowed him to put his own Lucario in the film with him.

Then the original director dropped out just before shooting could begin and the studio hired another one.

Prior to shooting, Brycen had told him stories about working with awful directors who either 1) didn't know what they were doing, 2) behaved appallingly or 3) both. The new director hired for the project fit into the third category perfectly. Since day one of shooting, the director rubbed everybody the wrong way, continuously asking for long, hard hours from the cast and crew, ordering for take after take after take, even when such a thing wasn't necessary and berating and insulting cast and crew members for every single small mistake made. Ryan repeatedly butted heads with the director during principal photography. On one particularly long and difficult day of shooting, after another failed take, he said to the champion "wow, you really suck at this, don't you?" Things came to a head on one of the final days of shooting, when the director pushed Ryan past his limits by making one particularly rude remark about Skyla, prompting Ryan to punch him in retaliation. The director tried to retaliate with a punch of his own, but ended being set upon by Lucario, leading to the director being escorted off set in an ambulance with multiple broken bones, lacerations and a severe concussion as well. Despite the director filing charges, it was ruled in Ryan's favor and nothing came of it.

Despite all the trials and tribulations, even with the studio bringing in a new, much better director to finish up shooting and work on the editing process, the film ended up being a sloppy, disjointed mess of terrible CGI, poor writing and ham-fisted editing, opening to negative reviews and bombing at the box office as a result. Everybody hated it. Even Ryan and Brycen came out and said that they regretted joining the project. The only things Ryan actually liked about the project were working with Brycen and his Lucario Kid costume, which he kept stored away in his apartment.

But at the end of the day, despite the continuous tabloid attention, endorsement deals and ailing movie career, none of these things were the biggest issue for Ryan.

The biggest issue he had came from himself and his team. Every single official League battle he had participated in since becoming the champion had all ended with the same result: victory for him. At first, it had felt as if the challengers were able to put up a good resistance. However, as his title reign grew longer, his matches became shorter. It had reached a peak just a few hours ago, when he faced down this bright-eyed youngster and demolished him in just a few minutes.

Of course, these problems had been brewing ever since he first became champion, but Ryan had been successful in blocking them out, just by clinging onto the memory of him becoming the champion in the first place. That's what held him together. That's what kept him going.

But then he lost to Red.

And then he lost to Jason.

Ever since these two losses occurred, they had been eating away inside him more and more. Of course, he had accepted the loss to Red. Red was Red! Red was the Pride of Pallet Town! Red was perhaps the greatest trainer of all time!

But Jason?! He had never even competed in a gym battle before, let alone a league match. Granted, it wasn't a proper match, just a battle between his Machamp and Ryan's Blastoise, but still...

Now, Ryan wanted to be more than just the Unova League Champion. He wanted to be the best. He wanted to not just beat Jason, but Red as well. The problem was, though, he and his team wouldn't be able to reach the necessary level required to get the job done in the position they were in at this moment.

Plus, if he really wanted to reach that level, this would mean having to vacate his position as champion.

As much as he wanted to have the opportunity to beat Red, was he really willing to sacrifice his championship, something which he had dreamed about ever since he was a little kid?

He looked over at the bedside cabinet, where he had placed his title as he tossed ideas back and forth in his mind.

Vacate. Stay. Vacate. Stay. Vacate. Stay.

He simply couldn't decide. At least, not on his own.

Quietly slipping out of bed, he shuffled across his apartment floor before stepping out onto the balcony, picking up his phone as he went. He needed someone to talk to.

Selecting one of the contacts, he put the phone up to his ear.

The phone seemed to ring for what felt like an eternity before finally, it was answered.

"Err...he-hello?"

"Hi Skyla, it's me" Ryan replied.

"Oh, hey Ryan. Erm...why are you calling me at, like, half past midnight?" Skyla asked sleepily.

"Sorry. I've just...I've got a lot on my mind at the moment and I just need someone to talk to".

Skyla sighed.

"Well, I'm up now, so...what do you want to talk about?"

"I just…I just don't know if I'm capable of carrying on in the position I'm in".

"How so? I mean, you've held onto that title for over a year, you're making tons of money, you're a movie star, you-"

It then dawned on her what Ryan was getting at.

"This is about Red, isn't it?"

"Mostly, yeah. Well, him and Jason. The thing is, Red beat me back at the tournament. I can accept that. But the fact is, it came down to the last Pokemon on both sides. We pushed him to the limit. Sure, he won in the end, but the fact is, there is so much more potential my team and I could be tapping in to and we simply don't have the time available to be able to do this".

"Okay, so you've identified the issue. Do you know what you're going to do to solve it?"

it was Ryan's turn to sigh this time.

"I was thinking about...vacating my title...B-But I just don't know. I mean, I know my team needs to grow stronger, but being the champion is something that I've dreamed about since I was a kid. I just...I just don't know."

"Well, as much as I would like to help you, Ryan, the only person who is capable of making any sort of decision is you. No matter what I or anyone else say to you, the final decision is yours and yours alone. Just make sure that you've really thought about it beforehand".

"Yeah...Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks".

"Am I still going to see you at the Committee gala tomorrow?"

"I've got nothing better to do, so I guess"

"Alright. Love you, Ryan".

"Love you too"

*Click*

As the Mistralton Gym Leader hung up, Ryan removed the phone from his ear, thinking about his whole situation again, sighing again.

He wasn't really sure why, but he could feel something boiling up inside of him, as if something big was about to happen. He had no idea if it would just subside or end up boiling over. All he knew was if it was going to boil over, it would do so very soon.

"Tomorrow's going to be very interesting" He thought.

* * *

A few months ago, Ryan had been present for the formation of the World Pokemon Trainers Committee, a group designed to act as both a governing body for the rules of Pokemon battling and a union for Pokemon trainers worldwide. General activities included writing and re-writing rules for Pokemon battling, as well as improving and maintaining safety standards for trainers spectators and Pokemon alike.

Initially, it had started with just five members, all of them being current champions: Ethan (Indigo League Champion), Brendan (Hoenn League Champion), Lucas (Sinnoh League Champion), Ryan (Unova League Champion) and the newly crowned Serena (Kalos League Champion). Before long, the committee opened its doors for new members and the roster grew from just five until it eventually reached over one hundred, including gym leaders and elite trainers alike.

Newer members included Silver, Lyra, Blue, Nate, Hilbert, Hilda, Hugh, Rosa, May, Barry and (of course) Skyla, along with pretty much every gym leader currently running a gym.

They had also invited Red to join the group but the Pride of Pallet Town turned this down on multiple occasions.

Whilst Ryan had been confused and admittedly a bit disappointed by Red's choice, he soon understood just why he had possibly decided not to join.

During the early days of the group, their sole focus were re-writing and improving the rulebook. However, before long, they soon found themselves with seemingly nothing more they could do/wanted to do. One proposed change made was to place trainers battling in stadiums into cubicles/elevated positions, so as to provide extra safety for trainers. This plan was eventually scrapped, with the excuse that being closer to the action was more organic and exhilarating than the proposed plan. Plus, in the recorded history of Pokemon battles, they were unable to find a significant amount of reports detailing trainers being hit by Pokemon attacks during a match. Some examples were found, of course, but these all occurred during the early days of the sport and similar incidents hadn't occurred since. Eventually, the WPTC descended into nothing more than a glorified country club.

Not that there was anything wrong with being part of the group. Ryan enjoyed the company of his fellow trainers, being able to talk about Pokemon battling and gleam all sorts of knowledge from professionals who had been battling a lot longer than he had. But aside from that, there was not much else left to enjoy.

This certainly rang true for this particular evening.

Most of the previous meetings had been pretty low key. The Committee members would often just book a boardroom for a few hours and have their meeting there. This time, however, the meeting had taken the form of a formal gala, with the President elect, Lucas, booking an entire ballroom in Opelucid City to hold the event. Casual attire had been replaced with expensive suit/tie combos and ridiculously pricey dresses.

Ryan didn't say or do much for the entire event. He was too preoccupied with what he was going to do about his current situation to have any sort of a good time. Not that he really enjoyed events like these anyway. He didn't even want to be there. The only reason he had shown up was because Skyla had decided to go and he hadn't really seen her in a while, so he thought he had better go with her.

He had gotten especially lucky as well, with he and Skyla being placed on exactly the same table, along with former Hoenn Champion Steven Stone, Blackthorn City Gym Leader Claire, Vermillion City Gym Leader Lt. Surge and, much to Skyla's delight, Elesa.

The six managed to cook up quite a good conversation, which carried on throughout most of the night.

Of course, when I say the six of them cooked up a conversation, I mean "the five cooked up a conversation and Ryan just pitched in when the attention was thrust in his direction". Asides from that, he barely spoke a word.

Skyla could easily tell that the decision was bothering him. She could tell it was a problem when she had spoken to him over the phone, but this time, he seemed even more troubled, sitting there with a melancholy look on his face, staring into nothing. It was eating him up from the inside.

If he was going to make an announcement, he really had to be careful about it. Especially since Brendan had taken the liberty of inviting a handful of journalists and photographers to the event.

The expression rarely left his face, staying with him for the entire evening.

The evening eventually began to draw to a close, with (almost) everyone seemingly having a great time.

Just before everyone could depart, Brendan stood up from his chair and walked over to an elevated podium, which had been placed near the front of the room.

"Alright then, ladies and gentlemen! We are just about to run over our allotted time for the evening!" He declared into the microphone. "But before we do, I have one question to ask: ARE WE HAVING A GOOD TIME?"

This was greeted by a rather hefty cheer from the other members.

"Well, that's good to hear. I know I've had a good time as well. Now, before we go our separate ways, is there anything any one of you would like to say?"

The Hoenn champion was greeted by silence.

"Anyone? No?"

Still silence.

"Well that's awkward!"

Hearty laughter was the reply from the others.

"Anyway, I guess that's it! Meeting adjourned! I wish everyone a safe journey home! Thank you for a wonderful evening and I will see you all at the next one!"

The guests all began to get up from their tables and head for the exit, happily chatting with each other about-

" _ **WAIT** **!**_ " Yelled a voice, catching everyone off guard. "I've got something to say!"

Turning to look in the direction of the noise, they found Ryan standing on a chair, with both his arms in the air to draw maximum attention to himself.

Perhaps the one least surprised by this was Skyla, who could tell that Ryan was still thinking about his situation.

Letting out a breath, Ryan jumped down from the chair, adjusting his tie before walking up to the podium and facing the curious and confused crowd of people.

He cleared his throat.

"Hi everyone, erm...Now I know that this is a little bit late and chances are, you lot probably just want to go home at this point. But I want you to listen to me. That includes you paparazzi guys as well. Get your notepads out and your cameras rolling, because I've got something big that I need to get off my chest. 18 months ago, I accomplished my dream of becoming Unova League Champion and since then, I have held onto my title with a vice-like grip that only seems to be getting tighter day after day. Now, you'd think that with this in mind, everything would be going swimmingly right now."

He sighed before continuing.

"The thing is, though, it's been anything but. I could go into why this is, but to be honest, I don't want to drag everyone down too much. But I will say the main reason why this is the case: lack of ability to grow as a trainer. My goal in life, as of right now, is more than to just be the Unova League Champion. It is to be the best. As of right now, I am the best trainer in the Unova Region, but quite simply, this isn't enough. In order to become the greatest, I must ascend beyond where I am into the highest echelon a Pokemon Trainer could possibly reach. The problem is, with everything currently going on in my life, I need to make sacrifices in order to make this dream a reality."

Ryan's heart felt as if it was sinking. He didn't want to go through with it. He really didn't. But he didn't see any other way.

"So, it is with great reluctance that I am here before you tonight with a couple of announcements to make. The first is that as of tonight...I officially vacate my position within the World Pokemon Trainers Committee".

This prompted some shocked whispers within the audience. Ryan was one of the founding members of the group. To have a founder leave in such a sudden manner came as a surprise to everyone.

"But that isn't the biggest announcement I have for everyone". Ryan continued, his heart still continuing to sink. "Tonight, not only do I vacate my position within the WPTC, but...I officially vacate my position as Unova League Champion".

The hushed whispers fell into shocked silence. The group couldn't believe what they had just heard. Of course, champions vacating their position was nothing new. Heck, two of the Committee's founding members had vacated their positions as champion. But to have a champion do it in such a public manner was a surprise.

"That is all". Ryan finished, stepping down from the podium before walking towards the door, a sullen expression on his face.

No one dared say anything, just silently watching Ryan leave.

However, just before the (now former) champion could leave, he stopped suddenly.

He turned, meeting the eyes of Nate, the trainer he had beaten two years ago to ascend to the position of champion.

With a very calm and somber expression on his face, Ryan walked over to him. Whilst his exterior seemed very calm and collected, he was a complete mess internally, bottling up all sorts of emotions.

As he stood face to face with him, Ryan suddenly reached out and grabbed Nate's right hand before gripping it with his own right and shaking it.

"Congratulations, Nate. You are now the Unova League Champion"

It took all of Ryan's strength to not break down uttering those words.

Releasing the Aspertia native's hand, Ryan then turned around and continued walking. As he continued, however, he felt his heart continue to get heavier. Suddenly, it felt as if it was about to physically sink out of his body.

Becoming the Unova League Champion had been his dream ever since he was a little kid. He had dreamed about the moment when he could be called "Champ" for years.

And just a moment ago, he sent that dream up the river.

He began to well up, letting out a quiet sob.

Eventually, he simply couldn't hold it in any longer, suddenly breaking into a sprint as he took off out of the doorway.

"Ryan, wait!" Skyla called after him. By this point, however, it was too late. Ryan, who was now several feet down the road, released his Flygon before hopping onto it's back, the Mystic Pokemon rapidly rising into the night sky.

Soon after this, the crowd departed with the mood shifted significantly.

Skyla, however, stayed behind, trying to phone Ryan to talk to him.

She sat at the now empty bar with her Xtransceiver in her hand, waiting to see if her boyfriend would answer.

Eventually, a voice came through from the other end. However, instead of it being Ryan, the call went straight through to his answering machine.

"Congratulations! You have reached the answering machine of Ryan Keyes, Unova League Champion. Obviously, I am not available at the moment, so make sure to leave your name and message and I'll make sure to try and call back at...some point, I don't know".

_*BEEP*_

"Hi Ryan, it's me. It's Skyla. I'm, err, I'm just calling to see if you're alright. I know that this hurts you. I know how much you loved being champion. Just...when you're feeling up to it, please call me back. Just so I know that you're alright. Love you. Bye".

As Skyla hung up, she felt the presence of somebody sitting on the stool next to her. Looking over, she discovered that it was Nate.

"How's he doing?"

"I don't know. It went through to his voicemail. Hopefully, all he needs is time".

She turned to Nate.

"So, you're now a Two-time Champion. Congrats".

"You say that like it's something I should be happy about".

"You mean you never wanted it?"

"No. Not like this, anyway. After Ryan first beat me, I planned to just spend some time away doing things I had wanted to do for a while before going back for a rematch. My team and I had actually begun training a couple of months ago. Emboar's gonna be pissed that we didn't have a match".

He sighed, getting back to his feet.

"Anyway, if you see or hear from Ryan, tell him I wish him the best of luck."

Skyla nodded.

"I will. Thank you".

As the champion left, Skyla looked over at the lonely bartender, polishing glasses.

"Hey, barkeep! You got any brandy? I could really use some about now".

* * *

_One Week Later_

Whenever something big happened, news outlets often tended to oversaturate or overexpose the story, often to the point where the general public reaction shifted towards "are they really still covering this?"

This time, however, was different. This time, something major had dropped and people still wanted to know the whole story.

What was the story?

Three words: _RYAN VACATES TITLE!_

Ever since Ryan had made his announcement, news outlets from all over the world had been flooding into Castelia City, trying to get any sort of interview with the now former champion.

What was perhaps the most perculiar aspect of the whole ordeal was the fact that titles being vacated never brought about this much attention in the past. Previously, when a championship title had been vacated, the announcement had headlined the news in the region, but nowhere else. This time, as Ryan had amassed such a following worldwide, this news gained much more attention.

No matter how hard the press tried, however, they failed to even get a peep out of Ryan, who had effectively holed himself up inside his apartment, refusing to come out.

No emails had been replied to, no calls had been answered, nothing.

The most anyone had ever seen of Ryan since the announcement was a short piece of footage taken from a helicopter that had been flying around the apartment building where Ryan's penthouse was located.

The footage showed Ryan, wearing only a bathrobe, stepping out onto his balcony and looking up at the helicopter before turning around and heading back inside.

Despite being just a few seconds in length, it had been very telling as to just how Ryan had been holding up.

Thanks to the High-Definition, people could see everything. The messy hair, the tired eyes, the stubble that had started growing around his chin, the melancholy expression on his face. He really looked as if he was at his wits end.

It was this small piece of footage that had eventually prompted Skyla to come to Castelia City to visit her boyfriend, especially after he had failed to return three of her calls. Before setting off, however, she had formulated a plan that would hopefully make Ryan feel a little bit better.

As she hovered around Ryan's apartment building on the back of Swanna, she looked down at the ground below. The front entrance was swarmed by journalists and cameramen, all waiting to see whether or not the trainer would emerge from his haven.

The cameras began to flash when they noticed Skyla hovering in the sky.

"Nuts to that" The gym leader said to herself as she opted not to land anywhere near ground zero. Instead, Swanna flew around to the other side of the building, where Ryan's balcony was located, landing there instead.

Withdrawing the White Bird Pokemon into her ball, Skyla walked over to the door before knocking on the glass, loud enough to be heard.

There was no reply, so Skyla knocked again, this time a bit louder.

"Hello?" She called. "Ryan, if you can hear me, don't worry. It's me, Skyla. I just want to talk to you".

She eventually got a response, as Blastoise poked his head around the corner, his face lighting up at the sight of the gym leader.

Disappearing for a few moments, the Shellfish Pokemon soon returned, this time with Grumpig, who happened to be carrying Ryan's keys telepathically.

Quickly moving over to the door, the Manipulate Pokemon levitated the key up to the lock and inserting it before twisting it around.

Soon enough, a clunk came from the lock, allowing Skyla to push the door open.

"Thanks, you two" She said to the two Pokemon. "Is Ryan in at the moment? I need to see him right away".

As if on cue, she heard a familiar voice.

"Oh for god's sake. Guys, I told you not to let anyone in, especially through the-" Ryan called out as he stepped around the corner, stopping as he caught of Skyla. He had clearly not expected her to be here at this time.

He looked even worse than how he did on the news. Not only were the tired eyes, messy hair and stubble very more prominent, there was also a rather unmissable smell of BO, as if he hadn't showered in days.

The bathrobe he also had wrapped around him looked as if it hadn't been washed as well.

"Oh. It's...It's you..." He mumbled. "...Hi, Skyla".

An awkward silence descended as the two tried to figure out what to say next.

"You, uh...want some coffee?"

"Uh, sure. Coffee would be nice".

Ryan shambled off to make some coffee, with Blastoise, Grumpig and Skyla following after him.

The Mistralton Gym leader was struggling to comprehend the entire situation. Her boyfriend had gone dark for a whole week after giving up on the one thing he had been yearning for since childhood and the first thing he had said upon seeing her again was "Oh, it's you".

This was not her Ryan. And she didn't like it one bit.

Things got even worse when she rounded the corner. Much to her surprise she was greeted by a large mound of Pokemon food, with Arcanine, Absol, Sawsbuck, Pachirisu, Lucario and Flygon all eating out of it. Skyla knew that there was supposed to be at least one Pokemon food bowl hidden somewhere beneath the mound.

"Ryan, how long has this mound been here?"

"Hmm? Oh, about...ab-about two days". The ex-champion replied as he set his coffee machine.

"Okay, yes. He has definitely lost it" SKyla thought.

As the coffee machine began to whir, Ryan sighed again.

"Skyla, can I have a little talk with you?"

This admittedly caught the gym leader by surprise. One week of nothing and it seemed that Ryan was immediately ready to let her know about what was going on.

"Okay, sure".

She followed Ryan away from the coffee machine and into his bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

Ryan didn't turn around at first. He just stood there, his back turned towards Skyla.

"Why?"

This caught Skyla by surprise.

"What?"

"Why, Skyla? Why did you come here?"

"What do you mean "why did you come here?"? I've been worried sick! I've literally heard nothing from you for a whole week!"

Ryan finally turned around.

"Skyla, being the champion was my dream. It had been that was ever since I was just a kid and now, because I need to grow and evolve as a trainer, I've been forced to give that dream up and in case you haven't noticed, I've been having a little bit of an episode as a result!"

"Maybe so, but that's still no excuse to block out those who care about you! It's not just me, Ryan! It's me, it's Jason, it's Selina, your parents, even that butler of theirs! We've sent you emails, we've sent you voicemail and we've heard nothing!"

"I-wait, you guys left me voicemail?" Ryan asked, seemingly surprised by this.

"Of course we left you voicemail! How could we not?"

Ryan looked over at the phone on his bedside cabinet before reaching over, pressing a button and sending it to voicemail.

**_"You have one missed call"._ **

_"Hi Ryan, it's me. It's Skyla. I'm, err, I'm just calling to see if you're alright. I know that this hurts you. I know how much you loved being champion. Just...when you're feeling up to it, please call me back. Just so I know that you're alright. Love you. Bye"._

**_"You have one missed call"._ **

_"Hey Ryan, it's Brendan. Just calling to ask how you're getting on. We're all a bit worried about you after last night. Anyway, please call back when you're feeling better, alright? Bye!_

**_"You have one missed call"._ **

_"Hey, it's Skyla again. Just wanted to drop another message and see if you're alright. You haven't responded in three days and I'm starting to get quite worried, now. Just...please call me back and talk to me. Love you._

**_"You have one missed call"._ **

_"_ _Hey, Ry. This is Selina calling. Apparently the others have been trying to get in contact you for the past few days and haven't gotten anything back. If you happen to hear this, then please let us know you're okay. Jason's also pretty worried about you as well"._

**_"You have one missed call"._ **

_"Hello, slugger. This is your Dad. The others have been trying to get a hold of you, but they haven't heard anything, so I thought I'd try. Clearly, you're not there right now, so please, when you can, just give us a bell. You're Mum and I are both very concerned about you. Anyway, I've got to go. Love you lots"_

**_"You have one missed call"._ **

_"Ryan, it's Skyla again. You haven't responded in almost a week and I'm starting to get quite worried, now. I love you and this lack of...really anything from your end is kind of concerning. Please...just call me back and let me know you're still there."_

At this point, there was now only one message left.

**_"You have one missed call"._ **

_"Hello, Ryan. This is...This is Nate calling. According to the others, you've gone dark and haven't responded to anyone, so I thought perhaps I could try and break through to you. These guys really care about you. Heck, I care about you. You're too good a trainer to be holed up inside moping. To be honest, I know I should be happy about becoming champion again but to be honest, I never wanted to win it back like this. There's really just no pride to be had from this situation. I've considered dropping it myself, but no one has wanted to take it from me, so I'm stuck here for the time being. Anyway, If you're listening to this, then please give one of us a call and let us know you're doing okay. Goodbye."_

As the message came to an end, Ryan didn't say anything. He just stood there, staring at the phone in eerie silence.

It was too much. It was all too much for him to handle.

His eyes began to well up as a small sob escaped his quivering lips.

"Oh Ryan..." Skyla sighed, going over and embracing her boyfriend tightly as his sobs became a bit louder.

No one said anything for the next few moments. Skyla just held Ryan as the ex-champion sobbed into her shoulder.

"I'm sorry..." Ryan finally managed to squeeze out as his sobs began to die off.

"It's okay Ryan. It's okay. We're all just wanted to know if you were okay."

"It's just...hurts so much".

"I know, it hurts. How could it not? You wanted it your entire life. But you really need to move on from this and...well, to put it into perspective, how many trainers have ever been Unova League Champion?"

"Several..." Ryan replied softly, sniffling a little bit.

"Right, and how many trainers have ever beaten Red?"

"One. Just...Just the one".

"Exactly! No beating about the bush, Red is one of the greats. But the fact of the matter is he can be beaten and when Ethan did it, he became one of the greats as well. If Ethan can do it, so can you and if you do it, then you'll become one of the all-time greats. I guaran-damn-tee it. Speaking of which..."

Skyla pulled her bag off her shoulder and placed it down before unzipping it and reaching inside, producing a small brown package. It seemed quite soft and lax and Skyla gripped it in her hand.

She handed the package to Ryan.

"A little something to perk you up".

Confused, Ryan began to peel off the sticky tape and open up the packaging.

Confusion soon turned to surprise as he stared at the item inside, his mouth agape in shock.

The package contained a cap, red in colour. It was red almost all over, say for a section at the front, painted in white. On it was pasted a sticky note, with a message scrawled out to the former champion.

_"From one former champion to another: See you on the battlefield"_

"No way" Ryan muttered quietly.

He ran to his nearest mirror, staring into it as he placed the cap on his head.

Now, there was no doubt about it. This cap wasn't a cheap replica which could be bought online. This one was bespoke. It was the original. It was the one the replicas were based off.

What Ryan was wearing on his head wasn't just any Pokémon Trainer's cap. He was wearing a cap worn by Red. In fact, Red had worn this very cap from the early days of his journey, right up until he had vacated his first (and only) Kanto League Title.

That was his hat and now, it was sat on Ryan's head.

He felt slightly faint, as if he was halfway towards passing out.

Instead, however, he caught the eye of Skyla, who had started to giggle.

"Holy crap! The look on your face is absolutely priceless".

Ryan didn't say anything. He just looked at his girlfriend, still in shock.

A delirious smile slowly crept over his face. This was then followed up by Ryan letting out a rather loud squealing sound as he rushed over to her, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug.

"I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT! THANK YOU SO MUCH! THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU! WOOHAHAHAHAHAAA!"

Ryan let his girlfriend go, sighing happily.

"God, I love you"

"I guess that woke you up a little bit"

"You know what? I think it did. Thank you".

"Now, how about we try and figure out just what we're going to do here?"

"We already have a good template to follow, then."

"We do?"

"Yes, we have Ethan. The only trainer who has ever beaten Red. All we need to do is follow what he did and if all goes well, that'll put you in a good position to win your rematch".

"So in that regard, I need to go to another region and beat the gyms there".

"That could work. Heck, why go for just the gym battles? Why not make a little holiday out of it?"

"Are you sure? I mean, you are a gym leader after all".

"It's okay, I can work something out. So where are we going?"

"No clue. Preferably somewhere with a strong gym circuit and plenty of sights to see".

"How about Hoenn? They've got plenty of strong gyms, plus a Battle Frontier. Besides, you already know Brendan and May".

"True, but I believe Sinnoh also has the same thing. Plus, all that history as well".

"Hmm. That is a good point. How about this: We take some time to sit down and figure out where to go".

"Sounds good to me".

* * *

"Keyes residence. May I enquire as to who is calling?"

"Doesn't my voice sound familiar, Alexander?"

"Master...Ryan?"

"Dunno. I could be".

"Master Ryan! Oh, thanks the heavens. I was starting to fear something awful had occurred"

"Nah, I'm alright. Just a moderate mental breakdown. Nothing too serious"

"Ah...right...Well, nevertheless, I must say that it is wonderful to hear from you again, sir. I guess you'd like me to put you through to your parents?"

"If they are in, then yes please".

"Your Mother is still here right now. I'll pass you over to her"

There were no words spoken on the other end for a few moments, with just the faint sound of shuffling feet. Pretty soon, faint voices followed.

"Ryan, is that you?"

"Hi Mum!"

"Oh my god, Ryan! I was starting to get so worried. You weren't returning any of our calls or emails. Oh, what does it matter? I'm just glad you're alright. Your Father will be glad too. I'll let him know when you get back".

"Ah, don't worry about it. I'll give him a call later. Anyway, I'm just calling to let you know that I'm alright. My short mental breakdown is now over and normal service can now resume".

"I'm guessing Skyla went over there and snapped you out of it".

"For the lack of a better phrase, yes".

"Of course. You know, that girl really is something. To be perfectly honest, I wasn't too sure about her when I first saw her on TV, but I guess meeting her in person has improved my image of her. You've made a good call, Ryan".

"Well, I'd hardly say I was the one who made the call. Realistically, she made the call and I just went with it".

"To be honest, that sounds about right".

"Yeah. Her and I are currently planning on what to do now that I'm back to normal...relatively".

"Oh really? Do you have any idea?"

"As a matter of fact, we do. We're currently planning on going to a place where not only can she have a good holiday, but I can grow and evolve as a trainer. It's a place with all breathtaking nature, fantastic weather, a healthy gym circuit and all sorts of Pokemon that I haven't seen in the wild yet".

"Where might this be, then?"

"Well, quite simply...We're going to the Sinnoh Region".


End file.
